The Lion's Goddess
by BlackRose015
Summary: Loke just couldn't sit back and let Lucy get tortured during the Navel Battle, so he force open his own gate. Unfortunately no one thought about warning him about the war goddess he had to face – one quite familiar to him.
1. Chapter 1

"Phew, that was a close call." Lucy carefully cracked an eye open as she heard the all too familiar voice of her trusted Celestial Spirit Leo the Lion, called Loke, as he grinned down at his blond master.

"You are all right hime?" Lucy nodded, surprised that the lion spirit was there, she didn't summoned him, she didn't even had her keys with her at the moment –Minerva, her opponent in the Navel Battle somehow managed to take them away from her-.

"Don't look so surprised hime, though I admit it makes you look cuter, you know I always come to your aid when you need me." The Celestial Spirit mage smiled gratefully at her friend.

"Thank you Loke." Loke grinned before he turned serious and placed Lucy down –who he held until now in bride style-, after making sure that she could stand/swim/flow alone again in this water bubble. He admit that he was quite worried as he felt that Lucy was in danger and didn't had her keys with her, lucky he could force open his own gate.

The stadium on the other hand was –while Lucy and Loke talked- in a state of surprise. Just as Sabertooth's Queen wanted to strike the Fairy Tail mage a golden light appeared and the Fairy Tail mage was being held by an orange haired man in a suit, Minerva's strike going into empty space. Minerva herself was surprised too, though she was able to hide it and something else rivaled the surprise: rage.

She was pissed that someone dared to interrupt her, to take her prey out of her clutches. The Fairy Tail Guild on the other hand cheered for the Zodiac leader spirit, who just saved their celestial spirit mage.

"A spirit, able to force his own gate open in order to come to his master's aid, how impressive." The, actual bald but hiding it, commentator member mumbled, but thanks to his micro in front of him every one heard him.

"So cool!" The reporter of the 'Sorcerer Magazine' and fan of the destructive Fairy Tail, as well as guest-commentator shouted into his micro.

"Loke's ability to come to Lucy's aid while his key is with Minerva, is really impressive to say at last, but not too surprising considering his loyalty to Miss Lucy." The oldest of the three, former council member and friends with Fairy Tail's Guild Master, mused with a small smile.

"Care to share why you didn't summon Aquarius the second you learned this would be in water, hime?" Lucy frowned, huffed and puffed her cheeks pouting.

"I did, but she decided a date with Scorpio was what she preferred." Loke raised an eyebrow, before deciding that he should have seen that one coming.

"I'll talk with her when I get back. Drenching you in water, being rude, or like in the battle with Angel leaving with Scorpio, also cutting the enemies lines so, okay, not the best behavior but okay one can work with that. Laving you in a water battle with a caster magic user to go on a date is not okay."

"Loke you don't have to." The imagines of Aquarius threating her after gotten scolded by her leader running through Lucy's head, making her shake her head to drive them away.

"It's alright hime, don't worry about that now, let's contract on the matter at hands." Loke turned around, for the first time since he came facing Minerva.

"Damn…not good." Lucy blinked surprised up to the taller spirit, it wasn't often that Loke cursed especially when facing a woman –his flirtatious character forbid it- but the second he faced Minerva Lucy could hear Loke growl through his clenched teeth. The timer of the clock jumped on four. Loke's eyes flitted over to the big, bright letters before fixing on Minerva again.

"That timer, hime?"

"It's the countdown. If Minerva or I fall out of this sphere we'll get the last place. We can't lose this round too or Fairy Tail…" Loke gave a curt nod in understanding.

"When the timer is up one of you get in the first, the other in the second place…I see…So we have to keep you in here until it hits zero, best unhurt."

"Or we managed to get Minerva out first, which would be the best and if we work together we could-" Lucy stopped as Loke shook his head slightly.

"We're in water hime." Loke reminded the blond mage.

"I'm a lion spirit, a grown-up cat if we go with Happy's definition, and while I don't tend to act like a little kitten does when it falls into water and gets wet and small or normal amounts don't affect me really, this amount is able to affect me or in other words, I'm weaker in here."

"Nani?!"

"You sound so surprised…you didn't know? You always summon Aquarius close to water, I thought you knew." Lucy blinked again, she didn't knew that the area she summoned a spirit could affect them, she only summoned Aquarius in water always, because the blue haired spirit threaten to drown her if she didn't.

"I see…well don't worry hime, I'll keep you in the game until times up." The blond girl smiled and nodded, she had complete trust in the golden key spirit.

"You two finally finished? Decided to give up?" Minerva grinned sadistically.

"You can forget it Minerva! I, we won't give up! We'll show you that Fairy Tail is the strongest Guild in Fiore!" Minerva laughed at the small fly –in her eyes- big announcement Loke's lion's ears on top of his head –one could argue if that were his ears or part of his hair- twitched slightly and Lucy too could hear the laughter behind and around them.

"You, the weakest of the weakest Guild want to beat me, the strongest member of the strongest Guild in all of Fiore?" Minerva's laugh echoed through the stadium as she raised her hand, a soft glow coming from it.

"We'll see." At the last moment before they were hit, Loke pulled Lucy aside and glared after the beam of heat as it ripped through the water wall and water splashed onto the ground below.

"A water mage? No she'd attack different if she were…neither a fire mage, she wouldn't be able to control the direction that good…" Loke swirled around and blocked Minerva's hit aimed at Lucy with his arm, while mumbling about what kind of magic the black haired could use. With a sadistic grin the black haired aimed a kick at the spirit's head, only to have the spirit let himself fall backwards. In his fall the Lion twisted slightly and used his knee, aiming for Minerva's side. With one hand the Sabertooth mage caught the knee, while with the other she reached forward to the lion's head, another glow emitting from her hand.

An explosion moved the whole water sphere, a pressure wave sent Lucy sailing to the edge of the sphere.

"Oh my, oh my! It seems as if Miss Minerva and Miss Lucy's spirit are on par right now!" The bald -though wig wearing- commentator's voice boomed through the stadium, making Sabertooth and their supporters angry and glare, while the other Guilds –especially the ones being friends with Fairy Tail- were quite happy, they didn't want Sabertooth to win the games again.

Minerva meanwhile glared at the Lion, her face twisted in rage, Loke on the other hand, while also having somewhat of a frown on his face, couldn't help but let his lips curl up in a grin, while keeping his eyes on the black haired who was back in the middle of their battle field. A moment of silence and analyzing the other passed, before Minerva raised her hand again. A greenish-blackish beam passed Loke as he dodged and raising his own hand, shooting his golden colored light magic at Minerva, who didn't tried to dodge.

"How can she be unharmed after that?!" Natsu's angry voice echoed through the silence as Minerva appeared before Loke, aiming at his face with her fist. The orange haired's head snapped back as the fist connected with his cheekbone, he wasn't fast enough to dodge it completely, but at least he didn't got his nose broken by a direct hit in the face.

"Territory."

"What?" Minerva starred at the man before her, they were still in the position they were as she hit him, her hovering before him, arm still outstretched and Loke half-way bend backwards through force of her hit. Loke grinned again.

"Territory. A space manipulating magic that's considered a war-god magic, quite powerful I dare to say…but it seems as if you haven't been able to trigger its full power until now."

"Not it's full power?"

"But yes, you never wondered why there is a lost time magic but non lost space magic? It's because Territory is actual the opposite to the 'Arc of Time' magic. With the Yakuma clan taking it and making it 'their' magic, specialized themselves in the spells known today, the others were forgotten, thus the other spells are lost and disappeared out of the human minds of time, people forgot the full power of it." Minerva starred at the male as he pulled himself up in a vertical position, a nice bruise decorating the right side of his face where she had hit him.

"I admit, you really know how to punch, that one hurt."

"What? Afraid already?" Loke stopped rubbing his bruised check and grinned. Lucy frowned as she saw that grin, it was different from the one he had before and she feared she knew what it mean. He always had that grin when…Lucy's trail of thoughts was interrupted as Loke opened his mouth.

"Afraid? No. I think I'm in love, my beautiful war-goddess." Lucy and the rest of Fairy Tail face palmed, only Loke would go and proclaim his love for the enemy in the middle of the battle –though he usual didn't do that when the battle was serious-.

While Fairy Tail was busy face palming and shaking their heads, Minerva's eyebrow started to twitch dangerously at the spirits proclamation and on Sabertooth's balcony Rouge had to hold Sting back from jumping into the battlefield and kill the spirit.

"I hate playboys."

"So, if I wasn't one, you'd love me back?" Instead of answering, Minerva kicked Loke into his stomach. Dodging the lousy thrown kick, by side stepping/swimming it, the lion threw a punch at Minerva, only to have her dodging it too.

While the two parties threw punch after punch and kick after kick at each other, dodging the other's attacks only rarely getting hit, Lucy had to wonder, as she watched from the sidelines, if the water even weakened Loke. According to him it did, but watching him keep up with Minerva made her wonder if it was really true and if it was how strong Loke really was if she could summon him on his full power. Lucy wasn't stupid or arrogant enough to believe that she could summon her spirits on full power –her own magical energy still wasn't strong enough for that at the moment, she had to admit that she probably could only summon not one of the Zodiacs on their full power-.

The beeping sound of the countdown echoed through the stadium, the last ten seconds begun. Loke drifted in front of Lucy, his back turned to her -not noticing that he was in front of her- and panting heavily. Minerva too was panting heavily as she whipped some small blood strain from her mouth with the back of her hand, Loke had gotten her good there with a right hook, making her lip bleed.

Nine.

The green eyes noticed the blond behind the man.

Eight.

Minerva's lips curled into a sadistic smirk.

Seven.

Raising her arm a greenish-blackish tomoe swirled around her hand.

Six.

Loke's eyes widen as he noticed that she wasn't looking at him.

Five.

The orange mane whipped as the Lion's head jerked around to see Lucy behind him, close to the edge.

Four.

He could hear Erza shouting at Lucy to get away from there as he faced Minerva again.

Three.

"**Ih Ragdo**!"

"**Regulus Impact**!"

Two.

The two magic beams meet half way, greenish-blackish the golden light.

One.

Hazel eyes widen in shock as the golden light was ripped apart by the other beam, which moved towards the zodiac leader and his master.

Zero.

The signal, that signaled the end, didn't rang a second too early. Just the second as everyone registered the end of the battle Minerva's beam ripped through the water sphere's shell, leaving two bodies crashing into a wall as it disappeared.

Loke, who used his own body to shield Lucy as good as he could from the attack and the impact of the wall and Lucy, who hung limb in Loke's arms, having been knocked out by the shockwaves of Minerva's magic and the crash into the wall.

The whole audience was in a silent state of shock and surprise. No, not the whole. Gray and Natsu both had jumped down onto the field and were running towards Lucy and her lion spirit, who felt down, as a great part of the wall crashed down from the impact, head first. In the last moment the ice and the fire mage managed to catch the two, so they didn't crashed onto the ground unstopped.

"Luce! Loke!" The lion cracked an eye open as he heard Natsu shouting his name and looked at the two male that saved him and Lucy from their fall.

"Thanks."

"Go back into the Celestial Spirit world and rest, we'll take care of Lucy from here." Loke nodded and followed Gray's order, disappearing into his realm and leaving Lucy with Gray and Natsu.

"So…who won?" The wig wearing commentator looked helpless at the pumpkin headed referee for help as he asked the question most were asking themselves. The referee himself looked between Minerva, who was still in the water bubble glaring daggers at the blond Fairy Tail mage and Lucy, who was now carried towards the rest of Fairy Tail by Natsu.

"It's...it's a tie?" Mato himself was surprised at the outcome of the battle as was the rest of the audience. Sabertooth's, the strongest guild for years now, strongest member didn't win! It ended in a tie against Fairy Tail, who has been considered the weakest guild for years.

"A tie! A tie! Fairy Tail got a tie against Sabertooth' strongest mage!" A whole bunch of shouts, out of rage and surprise rang through the whole lace mixed with cries of joy, not that it mattered for Fairy Tail at that moment, as they joined Gray and Natsu in bringing Lucy away from the field.

Minerva on the other hand teleported –with the help of Territory- out of the battle field and marched out of the stadium, angry about not having been able to beat the little crybaby and her kitty into a bloody mess, slightly confused about what the kitten had said about her magic.

* * *

**So, that was the first chapter, thanks for beta-ing it go to FunahoMisaki.**

**For those who wonder, Loke showed up in the moment as Minerva teleported Lucy in front of her and wanted to kick her.**


	2. Chapter 2

Groaning Lucy slowly open her eyes and had to press them shut again, the white of the room blinding her and made her throbbing head hurt even more. Her body felt quite numb, only her head and neck were killing her. What happened again? Oh, yeah the Navel Battle, Aquarius leaving her alone in the middle of the battle, her keys being taken, she nearly getting beaten up by Minerva, Loke saving her, the Lion and Minerva fighting, Loke and herself getting thrown out of the battle field by Minerva.

Lucy sat straight in her bed, eyes ripped wide open.

Loke!

He fought for her and kept her from serious harm, but in return he took all the blows. Frantically Lucy looked around, searching for her keys, only to find them dropped onto the nightstand beside the bed she was sitting in. A relived sigh escaped Lucy, her beloved keys were there with her, sparkling slightly in their golden and silver colors in the light of the lamp. She was actual worried that they were still with Minerva, Lucy didn't even want to start imagine what the Sabertooth mage would have done with her keys. Though now wasn't the time to imagine all the horrible things Minerva could do to her keys, if she had them. She had a spirit to check on and to thank. Reaching out for her keys, fully intending to summon the lion spirit, Lucy stopped in her movement as she heard the lion's voice behind her.

"You're not planning on summoning any spirit in your weakened state, are you hime?" Lucy swirled around coming face to face with the spirit she just wanted to check on. Standing beside her bed, dressed in his usual suit already being perfectly healed and flashing her his usual flirty grin stood Loke.

"Though if you wanted to summon me for a date, I gladly accept"

"Idiot." A pillow hit Loke in the face, making him laugh.

"I merely wanted to thank you for helping me out and I also wanted to check on you, you did took quite some blows."

"Don't worry hime, I'm your knight in shinning amour, it's my honorable duty to come and aid you anyway possible." Lucy sighed but smiled. With the Lion being his usual self, Lucy took it as a sign for him being okay. The mattress slightly bend under Loke's weight as he sat down, the pillow Lucy had thrown at him in his hands.

"How are you? You were knocked out in the end." Lucy blinked, Loke seemed more serious than usual. Actual Loke rarely acted serious when the situation didn't called for it.

"I'm fine, thanks to you…But what's with you? You took all the beatings for me."  
Loke waved dismissive his hand.

"Don't worry about me, I'm fine. You know, we Celestial Spirits are quite tough, we combat Spirits are even tougher." Lucy smiled, Loke had the tendency to make her feel better whenever she was down and needed someone, someone that wasn't Team Natsu or someone of Fairy Tail. The lion was actual a good listener, when he wanted to and could offer advice when needed or simple cared and being there, being himself. The blond mage admit that she was grateful for Loke being her friend, he was…like an older annoying brother –annoying yes, but an brother no less-, his tendency to flirt with her to tease her put aside. He was like an older brother who loved to tease and annoy the hell out of his younger sibling and showing up whenever he wanted most of the time, but he also was a caring older brother who was there when she needed him and was willing to do everything possible to help her –even the impossible.

"Oi, hime, you're in there?" Loke tapped Lucy against her forehead slightly, like one did when knocking at a door.

"Stop it Locke." Said Spirit only chuckled slightly again.

"Just wanted to make sure you're still with me hime."

Lucy growled, making the Spirit chuckle a bit more. "Do you know which place we got?"

The orange haired shook his head as he answered. "No, I went back before it was told. I admit, I didn't really cared, you being safe with Natsu and Gray was enough for me at that moment. You know, your beloved Natsu looked quite worried about you to me." A mischievous grin was on Loke's face as he looked at his master.

"Shut up Leo! He's not my beloved!" Hiding her face in embarrassment the blond didn't notice the Lion rolling his eyes at her denial. Just why did Loke have to tease her about Natsu now, was what went through her head.

"Okay, okay, let's be serious now Lucy." The celestial Spirit mage raised her head slightly, looking at her spirit, whose flirting grin and teasing twinkle in the eye disappeared.

"I talked with Aquarius" A painful, maybe pitiful groan from Lucy interrupted Loke and let him raise an eyebrow in question. A task Lucy envied the lion for, whenever she tried to raise just one eyebrow- no matter if in question or god knows what- it either was that both went up or she ended up looking like a grimace making monkey or both, neither of it made her look any better than the monkey option.

"You really want her to kill me, do you hate me this much?"

"Of course not Lucy" Ah, yeah Lucy forgot that serious Loke wouldn't know humor if it bit him in his behind, so he wouldn't react with it, "and Aquarius wouldn't kill you. She cares for you, like I and the other spirits do too, and that's why she had decided it would have been better for you if she leave."

Lucy looked expecting at Loke, urging him to explain.

"She thought that you, if she leaves, would give up willingly. This may doesn't seem caring at all at first, but the reasoning behind it isn't too farfetched. You see, Aquarius being busy with countering Juvia's attacks couldn't have helped you as she had to focus on those, leaving you open for the others to attack. So as she saw the first one out, she decided, better you get one of the lower places than getting hurt. It probably would have been better if she told you that, but no need to cry over spilled milk."

Lucy silently agreed with Loke about the water spirit's reasoning not being too farfetched now that she heard them, but even if Aquarius would have told her… "I wouldn't have thrown the match either way."

Loke grinned as he shrugged his shoulders, before calm stating. "Not that I'm surprised, you're a stubborn girl hime."

"Shut up" The lion watched his master and friend for a moment. He wouldn't deny that he was relieved that she was mostly unhurt, the one or other scratch here and there but overall it could have ended worse. On the other hand though the girl didn't seem as happy, something was bothering her greatly and he'd be damned if he didn't find out what.

"What's the matter, Luce?" The direct approach was still the best in the end after all.

"It's nothing…not really."

"Stop beating around the bush, get out what's bothering you." It probably came out harsher than he meant to be –Lucy flinched slightly at his harshness- but if he didn't used his choice of word and tone he knew he'd been waiting half an eternity for Lucy to answer. Maybe that would have been better, he wasn't expecting the answer he got.

"I'm weak."

"Don't say such nonsense, you are not weak." The blond haired looked at her, in her lap clasped, hands, her bangs hiding her face partly from her lion.

"Didn't you just saw how I fought? I didn't even fought! I hide behind Aquarius, the Virgo and Aries and then you. If you hadn't shown up when you did…" Loke frowned at his friend's deportment as he interrupted her, being his normally unusual serious self as he started to speak.

"Stop it Lucy. You are not weak. Yes, sure against people like Natsu, Erza or Minerva you still got a long way to go, but those are also the best of the best, there are hundreds of people that would seem weak against them, even if though they're not and you're one of them. Remember what you already achieved up to now. You beat Angel. You beat a mercenary guild on your own with just Taurus as your aid. You beat Sherry, whose magic mind you, is just made to counter yours. Lucy, you already achieved so much. You saved my life, something I'm always be grateful for to you. You got the spirit King to rethink his judgment. You got him to change his mind, for the love of the stars you are the only Celestial Spirit mage who is friends with him. So tell me, is that anything, is anything from what I just listed something a mere person, a weak person could do?" Loke waited for Lucy to answer after he finished his little rant. He was right with what, he knew it and Lucy knew it too. Everything he just said was right and Lucy did found herself believing him full heartily. Raising her head and pulling her eyes away from her hands, Lucy meet Loke's serious gaze with a determined one of her own.

"I want to be stronger, even stronger than I am now. Strong enough to not seem weak against one of the others." The lion's mouth curled up into a smile.

"That's just what I wanted to hear and just what I needed to hear." The spirit using mage looked at the zodiac leader with confused chocolate colored eyes.

"I just finished talking with the other spirits and got everything cleared with the King, just before I came here." That only lead to Lucy being even more confused. What did Loke had to talk about with the other spirits and the King concerning her? He wasn't still in trouble because of the Karen thing, was he?

"Stop looking so worried, you get wrinkles and you are way too young for that." A playful punch hit Loke's shoulder.

"Ouch. Girl you hit hard, makes me rethink about my plan with helping you to get to your goal." The lion rubbed his –so badly hurt- shoulder that Lucy just hit, with a look of faked pain.

"Eh, what plan? Tell me Loke!"

"I tell! I tell! Just stop hitting me" The orange haired laughed, holding up his hands to shield himself from his master's 'powerful' punches.

"Sheesh, sometimes I wonder just who could think of you as a nice girl. Don't you dare to hit me again or I won't tell you!" Lucy let her fist –already in the position to hit Loke again- sink down again, a big smile on her face while waiting for Loke to start talking again. The orange haired sighed and pushed his glasses up, making them reflect the light and thus hiding his eyes.

"This, how you called it, hiding behind us can be lead back to two main reasons. First, you physical fighting abilities are close to zero, you're handling of the whip is good, but beside that you got as good as none fighting abilities, simply because you never learned how to really fight in hand-to-hand combat. Second, your magic, as powerful as it can be, is one nearly perfectly made for one to hide behind –which most do- especially as the only spell you know besides summoning us is Urano Metria. So that are your two big disadvantages, the inability to fight in hand-to-hand combat or the knowledge of other spells and without those two things you have a hard time aiding others –your spirits, me, your team- in battle."

"Great, go and rub it in, will you?" Loke raised his hand, telling Lucy to be quite before he waged his finger in a scolding manner.

"Now, now listen. Those two disadvantages can be easily overcome. How you ask? Simple by training." A big grin speared over Loke's face and Lucy's face too lighted up as she draw her conclusion about what Loke was hinting.

"That's the reason why I talked with the others and the king, so we can train you in combat and celestial magic that allows you to strength you spirit and aid your spirits." Big chocolate brown eyes stared at the lion, wide open and chin nearly hitting the ground. She had thought of Loke telling her something like that, but still. It wasn't exactly something thing she expected, that her friends came up with an idea like that. While the blond stared at Loke not able to find her voice to say something, he played with the pillow still in his hands. Better give the human a moment to collect herself again, were his thoughts, it wasn't exactly the best idea to overrun her with the whole training plan at once.

"Why did you have to talk with the Celestial Spirit King about it?" Just great, the first thing she got out after finding her voice again was to question him, no 'thank you' or 'you're the best' or whatsoever but the only thing she got out was to question him. Loke though didn't seem to mind to be questioned, at last he didn't seemed offended by it. Actual, he maybe wasn't as old as Capricorn and hadn't as much experience teaching –for a celestial spirit Loke was actual quite young- but he still liked to share his knowledge with others, thus he was actual happy to fill his intelligent master's knowledge gap.

"It's because of what happened the last time a mage learned those and studied with his spirits…he isn't exactly…well he isn't exactly the most loved mage –I can't tell you more about that, you know the rules- and because of that person's history and the connection he once held to us a law had been created centuries ago that forbid us to teach our master's any of the celestial magic, the only thing we're still allowed to do in the end is pretty much to form contacts with them and lead them our power. I had to talk with the King to make an exception so we would be allowed to teach you."

"You idiot!" A low thump was heard and the lion laid on the floor blinking up to the celling, Lucy had pushed him off the bed. "What would you do if someone saw that as breaking the rules again? What if the Celestial Spirit King saw it as breaking the rules?"

"Well, then I think I would have to teach you without his or anyone else knowing."

"Loke!" Loke chuckled as he pulled himself up to his feet again and reached out to pat Lucy's head.

"Don't worry hime. I'm pretty safe as long as I don't kill you." The blond pouted but couldn't help but feel a bit of relived that her Lion wouldn't have to face punishment so fast again.

"And now get rid of those ugly wrinkles I tell you, you always get them when you worry about something. I go and tell the others you're up now, they surely want to check on you too."

"You come again later?"

Loke shook his head his head softly. "No, not later. I got something I wanna check, but I'll be here first thing tomorrow. So don't worry hime, you won't be too long without your handsome prince, your knight in shining armor, your-"

"I got it Loke, I got it, so tomorrow."

"Yes tomorrow I'll be back hime, rest well." Placing a small kiss on Lucy's forehead he bid her farewell and left the room.

To find all the other Fairy Tail members wasn't too hard, a blind man could easily spot them in a sea of people, the fact that they were at their hotel was helping too. And after telling them that Lucy was up he chuckled looking after the dust cloud they left, on their way to where the blond was, behind. How lucky that he didn't stood between the door and the mages, he'd be a pancake. Though it did make him happy that the Guild cared so much for each other, after all he too was still a member of Fairy Tail and it make him happy to be in such a Guild. They were like a big family and Makarov like their father or grandfather…maybe that was why he first been a bit doubtful of Fairy Tail, because his and his father relationship…Loke shook his head shortly and contracted on what he wanted again.

Territory. What a powerful magic. Loke though wondered how the black haired learned it, even the incomplete scribbles of the Yakama-clan were close to non-existing today, though still to many for letting Territory count as a lost magic. Of course he had knowledge of that magic and may others, thanks to having spent half his childhood within the royal library learning about everything that was worth to be known as he needed a wide knowledge when his father stepped back and he would take over his place as the Lion summon, well he was at last forced to learn it. Again the orange haired shook his head, now wasn't the best time to think about his childhood or what he knew about Territory, even if the caster magic had to do with what he wanted to check.

Using his own magic to transform his black suit into his green-hooded-jacket outfit he wore during his time as a human, the lion leaved the building and walked down the streets, there was an easy way to find out what he wanted.

-Line Break-

A crash echoed through the room and a vase crumbled into pieces. She was angry, no she was beyond angry, she was pissed to a degree that was rare for her, even with these annoying nitwits in her guild.

Another crash, a mirror and a chair crumpled to shreds, the stool having been thrown against the reflecting surface, it shouldn't have reflected her shame. The shame of having lost, no matter what the points or anyone else said, she had lost. After all everything that wasn't winning was losing and a tie was no better than losing. Actual it was a whole lot worse. A tie meant that the enemy took pity in one, didn't took one for a threat, that he was holding back, that-…'I'm weak here' The over grown kitten's words as he explained to that stupid fairy why he wouldn't be able to take her –Sabertooth's strongest- out, kick her out of the sphere echoed in her head. In his weaken state the kitten managed to keep up with her…what would be if he wasn't weaken? If they fought somewhere where the environment didn't affected their magic? Would she lose? Would he take pity in her and not finish it?

Minerva bit onto her bottom lip, a bad habit that she had whenever something was troubling her, deep in thoughts chewing on the red flesh. It really was an unexpected situation, she hadn't expected the spirit to interfere –hadn't expected any of the blonde's spirits to interfere- and neither that any of those little sparkly pawns were on pair with her.

She lost, she didn't needed her father to tell her that, to tell her that she was a failure and a disgrace to the guild, the Guild he bought to the top.

The black haired let herself fall backwards onto her bed, the mattress was a bit too hard for her liking, but this was Sabertooth comfort didn't exist here, wasn't accepted nor wanted here.

She couldn't forget what the kitten had said about her magic. He recognized it fast, most needed a lot longer and for her to use it in way more oblivious ways for them to figure out her magic, and even then they only knew how it worked and not what it was. Also, he said it wasn't at its full potential, that she still couldn't use her magic's full potential.

With a sigh the black haired closed her eyes, wanting to drift into sleep, to dream about the time she was a child and could dream about someone who cared for her.

Not a minute passed before she ripped her eyes open again and sat straight in her bed. To say what the kitten had said about her magic, he had to have more knowledge about it, he had to know something she didn't.

Minerva's lips curled into an evil smirk.

The kitten's love and weakness for women and for flirting were no secret to her, to no one actual who read a bit about him –and she did as she collected information about other guilds, Fairy Tail was one of them- and she would get information from him, one way or another.

Pushing herself up from her bed a dark chuckle escaped her. Her plan stood and would not fail, she knew how to play and to manipulate.

The question was, did the kitten?

He, after all, was no more of a flirt and wouldn't notice how she played him, wouldn't notice until she crushed Fairy Tail with unwilling, unknowing aid.

_Within the darkness a little girl cried, fearing for what to come. Why wouldn't someone come and save her?_

-Line Break-

Lucy chuckled as she was watching Natsu telling her a story, making wild gestures with his hands as he described just how he defeated the rough mage on one of his solo missions with Happy before she joined the Guild. He wanted to make her feel because she had to stay put here over night, order from Porlyusica so she'd be fit tomorrow again.

The rest had already left to give her some space and peace to rest. The Master shortly told them what would happen now with Raven Tail disqualified. Originally it was planned to have Fairy Tail put both their teams together, now though for whatever reason, it was decided that Fairy Tail could keep their two teams in the game but the last place had been removed. In other words no team could get the official last place at last in the stats. So now there were only seven teams left.

Shortly Lucy wondered what Loke had to do, he wouldn't have anything to do with the changing in the teams, but she couldn't help but wonder where he went. Though, thinking more about it she was quite sure he was at some bar having a girl in both his arms or more girls. Well, she knew him and his womanizing tendency but when she really needed him he would always come and help her, like now where he would go and train her.

"Oi, Lucy are you listening?"

"Sorry Natsu I was just thinking about what Loke told me about how he and the others would train me."

"Oh…" Natsu gave Lucy a big, wide grin, "no need to worry. Your spirits are your friends, aren't they? It's great you'll be able to learn really cool spirit moves! Like going through walls or being invisible or…" Lucy smiled as Natsu rambled on and on about what cool moves she could learn, even if Lucy was sure that her salmon haired friend confused her celestial spirits with ghost at some points.

Outside of the window in the dark night sky the stars twinkled and shined brightly in the darkness. Especially the stars that belonged to the sign of the water bearer shined brighter than usual before dimming back to their normal brightness.

In the celestial spirit world the blue haired water spirit smiled. In front of her was a flat bowl, filled with water which surface showed the imagine of a blond sitting on her bed in front of the window laughing while next to her sat the fire dragon slayer making wild gestures while saying something with a big grin.

Touching the surface of the water in the bowl the picture started to rifle and disappeared into the water again, leaving only the crystal clear water behind, so now one could see the drawing of the water bearer's sign on the bottom of the bowl again. Good that the blond was alright again.

As she heard about how the blond was too stubborn to give up and about what kind opponent was there with her, the water spirit was worried, but she noticed to late and wasn't able to force open her own gate. Lucky Leo reacted, and after he returned came to her right away. The little talk she had with the Lion –more like the scowling she got from him- didn't helped her worries about her Master at first, not that she would ever admit being worried to the blond Master of hers, though he also told her that she was safe now. It didn't lesser his scowling through. Leo was merely a few years older, for celestial spirits not even really worth mentioning because of how old they could become –if they stayed in the celestial spirit world for eternity they'd live forever, but most decided after some centuries or millenniums that they lived long enough and left this world to roam earthland for their last few days, they couldn't live much longer down there- but in situations like this Leo loved to rub it in.

Though remembering Leo it reminded her that the lion asked her to look something up in the royal library for him, as she was, next to him one of the few allowed to look into everything there –even classified things.

"Lady Aquarius", Capricorn had just entered the room and was now standing at the door, "your father request your present" The blue haired woman just brushed the older spirit off.

"Later, I'm busy now he can wait." And with that the mermaid spirit passed the goat.

-Line Break-

Minerva growled silently, that was the fourth bar she searched in for that stupid kitten, but no luck so far. Maybe her plan wasn't really all that thought through. How high was the liking-hood that she find the kitten here anywhere? He'll probably be at the blond fly's side holding her hand or licking his wounds wherever he is when not summoned.

"Damn." The territory mage let go of some swear words under her breath and rubbed her arms with her hands, trying to warm herself up a bit. It was cold! Maybe she should have thought this through a bit better, she could have at last bring a coat. If he wasn't in the next one she'd go back and think of a better plan.

Pushing the door open Minerva was greeted with warm air, filled with useless talking and laughing.

"Good evening ma'am. How can I help you? A table for one person or are you expecting someone or maybe a stool at the bar?" The black haired ignored the friendly smiling man dressed in a uniform showing that he worked here. Brushing past him Minerva marched directly towards the round table in a niche, a half round red cloth cladded sofa-bench that was embed in the niche and the table stood so you could reach it comfortable from all sides. There in the middle of the bench, directly in front of her and with a girl at each arm –a brunet and a red haired- sat the orange haired laughing at something the brown haired had said.

Bimbo, was the first word shooting through Minerva's head as she saw the two giggling and flirting females, who were clearly underdressed in their short dress for the weather outside. The females too noticed Minerva, better said the glare she send them and shrunk together under it. On the other hand the male smirked up to the territory mage and pulled his arms away from the two girls next to him, until now he had them around their shoulders.

"Ladies, if you please excuse it, but you have to leave." The two girls nodded and hurried away, not without both kissing the orange haired goodbye on his cheek, leaving the lion and the Sabertooth queen behind.

"Please, Minerva, sit down, have a drink. You look quite cold, you want me to warm you up?" Minerva's glare directed at Loke now harden, before she remembered her plan, tried to smile as sweet as she could and sat down beside Loke but couldn't bring herself to snuggle up to him like those two girls before her did, even if it could help her reach her goal. The zodiac leader meanwhile went and winked a waitress over, ordering something to drink.

"So and now" Loke started as they waited for their drinks, and touching a Lacrima that flared up shortly, "pray to tell me what you are doing here and where is your coat? It's cold outside"

"I forgot it" The nearly inaudible bashful mumbling of Minerva make Loke smile softly and place his own jacket, after he took it off, around her.

"Here, it's maybe warm inside, but still…"

"I don't need alms!"

"So…you want to hint that you're poor?" Minerva glared at the male. That arrogant kitten.

"I kid, I kid. And it has nothing to do with alms or pity, I merely worried that you could catch a cold when you go outside again." For a short moment, just a mere second, Minerva looked at the lion with gratefulness, just a moment in that the lion seemed to look so honest.

"I'm actual quite surprised that you forgot something like a coat, seems like even you forget small things like that."

"What makes you say that?"

"I asked a bit around. People think that you belong to the type of people that never forget something and are as scary as hell. They also believe you'd do everything to reach your goal" Minerva frowned inwardly. Why did the kitten went and asked around about her? He didn't have a real reason, though maybe…

Minerva gave Loke a harsh glare. "You really are a womanizer, aren't you?" Loke chuckled as he leant back and crossed his arms behind his head.

With a thoughtful expression he looked up at the celling. "Not really, I like woman, I admit that, but actual I'm still waiting for the right one."

"And how many did you dished that lie out up to now? How many told you that they were the right one?"

"To tell the truth, none. Telling someone they are the right one and not fully meaning it is not only a bold lie, it's dishonorable, mean and one of the worse things you can do to someone, that's at least my opinion."

The Territory mage blinked at the lion. She expected another answer after what she knew about him. Okay, maybe it wasn't that much as she only knew what had been written in magazines, but she did had a picture of him in mind, that now seemed unfitting and it frustrated her. She prided herself with the fact that by now she was as strong as her father and just as able to lead the Guild, even being able to understand others feelings and emotional ties, something her father could not and she also was quite proud to say that she had more brain then him, and that she used that to manipulate others. Now, with her picture of the kitten not fitting as good anymore, it'll be more difficult to manipulate him. To manipulate one, you needed to understand how they tick.

Oh well, her original plan probably wouldn't work anymore, but she still had an ace up her sleeve. The wonderful bonds of friendship that that stupid Fairy Guild value so much, not as elegant to use but oh well.

"You seemed surprise about that, expected something different?"

"Stop acting as if you know me." Loke chuckled but decided against answering for now anyway.

The drinks came and Loke paid the waitress before placing one of the glasses in front of Minerva.

"Is that how you get all the girls, by making them drunk? You're trying to make me drunk?"

"Nonsense, the girls like me because I'm handsome, charming and know how to use words, that's why they throw themselves at me. Moreover, these are non-alcoholic drinks. I once had a drinking contest with Cana, not my best memory." Minerva raised an eyebrow, the kitten ego wasn't small was it? Still, she took the glass and tasted a small gulp of it. It tasted surprisingly good and reminded her of something but what, she couldn't remember, it tasted like something she had drunk once before already.

"Still love it, don't you?" The glass nearly slipped out of Minerva's hand and she lost the control over her expression as she stared wide eyed at the spirit.

"What. Do. You. Know?!"

"Just what people say, you know? That you're a powerful mage, that it's thanks to you that Sabertooth got so strong so fast, the other in your team are given credit too, you're said to be pretty intelligent too and to say it more gallant, gorgeous. Those two lovely ladies from earlier were fans of you by the way, you didn't have to scare them away like that."

"I did not scare them, if they're such whiney babies that get scared of everything they should have just stayed in the hole they crawled out from." Loke merely raised an eyebrow, though he was a bit put off of how Minerva was acting, talking about others, treating others. Keeping his hazel eyes on the green eyed mage Loke took a ship of his own drink. It was a different one than Minerva's. One could already tell them apart by color- Minerva's red filled from bottom to top with crushed ice and his golden with ice cubs swimming on top of it- but he preferred his over the sweat-bitterness of the black haired's drink. First sweet than bitter. Was it perhaps reflecting her personality? The lion could remember someone once telling him that people often liked things they saw themselves in nearly a century ago. Actual, he could still remember his mother once telling someone their character just by seeing their most precious possession. Ah yeah, it was his mother who told him that, but she had said more about it, what was it again?

'_Don't go around believing what you see in something is what other see in it too. A wild beast is for some nothing more than a mindless beast, for others though it may is just a misunderstood being_' Yeah, that was it. So in the end it didn't matter knowing what a person liked without knowing what they saw in it.

Minerva meanwhile too was in deep thoughts, but unlike Loke not in thoughts about the past, but the near future, better said about what she should do now. She didn't planned for this conversation to go like this, actual she hadn't really thought it through much, not like usual where she before she started a plan already had every thought through into the smallest detail. She had wanted to use charms and charismatics to warp him around her little finger, perfect for her liking to destroy that weak little fairy Guild. Now though, she had to improvise.

"Uhm…your name is Loki, isn't it?" The zodiac leader stared at the female as if she just asked the most ridiculous thing ever.

"We fought just this midday, you came here interrupting my time with those lovely ladies, I invited you for a drink, we talked and you're asking for my name just now?"

Oh, so that's why he looked so ridiculous just now. "Well, I-"

The many expressions someone from Fairy Tail could make based on their emotions were impressive. Just a moment ago he had that ridiculous face, before that as he was in his own thoughts quite some different passed his face just staying for a shot moment and now he was laughing.

"Don't worry about it, neither did I asked for your name did I? It's actual Leo, but most here call me Loke by the way with an 'e' not an 'i', just for the record." And now that flirty grin paired with a wink.

"And my name is Minerva, just for the record." She wasn't sure why, but somehow she adopted his flirty tone and guessing from how his grin widen it was right but…why was she comfortable with how it was at the moment, she couldn't forget why she actual came her, she had to remind herself of it.

"Minerva, huh? Nice meeting you, though I wonder" The grin disappeared and Loke turned serious "what is it that you want of me in the middle of the night, it's already ten p.m." How can he turn from flirting and grinning serious so fast?

"I merely wanted to get to know you." Hazel eyes locket with her green ones and Minerva knew that she lost the control over this conversation, no she never had it to begin with.

"Getting to know me, huh?" She really hadn't any control about it, was what went through her head as the lion leaned forward, his breath tickling her ear. Did she really thought she could use the charming and flirting technique with him? He was more experience and probably a lot older too. He would notice when she was feign interest in him, she should have thought about that. Now there was no backing down anymore, if she gave in now she would lose, she would be weak and she learned from the beginning that being weak was not a choice.

"Yes, you had been able to keep up with me, while saying that you were weaken from the water. Of course I would take an interest in you kitty." If the nice way didn't work, she could just as good take a more offensive way. Loke, still leaned forward, close to Minerva's ear was supporting himself with his arm on the backrest, stopping himself from falling onto her.

"Sure that's the only way you want to get to know me?" The soft drawl of his voice paralyzed Minerva for a moment, what was he aiming at? And before she could slap him the orange haired and already leaned back.

"What did you just do?"

"You mean the trying to flirt with you part?"

"I mean-shut up! For what did you activated the Lacrima earlier?"

"Oh, and there was I hoping I finally got thru your defenses…oh well, took you sometime to ask about the Lacrima, good way to change the topic. It seems like you'll be a bit of a challenge, don't you think so too Minerva?"

"I think it's rude to not answer a question."

"But lying is an o-kay? Don't look so surprised, it was painfully oblivious that you were lying nearly the whole time since you were here. The Lacrima only gives us privacy, it got a silencing spell on it that stops others from hearing our conversations, a reason more why I like this place." Minerva glared at the lion, she didn't saw a reason to try and act anymore, not with the kitten having seen through it already. With a sneer on her face and also in her voice she started to talk.

"I would say, congratulation kitty –what don't like being called that?- not many notice when I lie, you're one of the unlucky few." Loke took another ship from his drink, keeping a close eye on Minerva. He was aware that he played a dangerous game, the black haired was fuming on the inside –he was also aware of that- but there was something he needed to know and this girl –yes girl, she maybe had the body of a woman acting all high and mighty but she was still a scared little child that tried to act like a woman, tried to act strong- was the only one he was sure of to have the answer.

"But when you say it's rude to not answer a question, answer my again, this time without lying. What do you want from me?"

"What do you know about my magic, where do you know it from, tell me."

"You know, most people would ask and not commend and use please. You know, just to not be rude." Minerva glared. The nerve of the kitty. He acted as if they were old friends, as if he knew anything about her, as if he had a right to. He even dared to use her own words against her.

"Please and other nonsense does not concern me, my only concern is to gain whatever knowledge you have on my magic and from where you got it."

"And what if I'm not willing to share my knowledge?"

"You will."

Loke raised an amused eyebrow as he took another ship of his drink. "Oh? What makes you so sure?"

Minerva smirked, he clearly had the same weakness like all the Fairy Tail wanna be mages, the weakness that made their hot blooded Dragon Slayer challenge her father. Not an actual weakness, after all they could awaken great strength through it, but if someone who wanted to harm them used it against them.

"You know, I fear kitten, you won't be always able to come to the blonde's help."

Crack. Minerva flinched as the glass in the kitten hand shattered into pieces and she was meet by the murderous glare of the Lion. The hazel eyes burned with such a fury. For the first time since meeting today Minerva became aware of just why he was the leader of the zodiacs, the lion –thanks to Yukino telling Sting everything she knew about Celestial Spirits she was aware of which position he held. He was a lion, a wild beast and he was just as protective of his as a real lion. Never anger a lion, never threat what he cared for, Minerva was sure she would remember that forever.

"Listen and listen good." It was not more than a low growl through fletched teethes but ever word was clearly understandable for Minerva.

"Do not, not for one second, believe that you'll ever have the chance of hurting Lucy, because that will never happen." Did he always have fangs?

"I won't stand by, letting you hurt her and believe me when I tell you that Fairy Tail and I are some of the few you do not want to piss off." His mane was wilder than usual, like an animal's fur when it prepared itself to attack.

"I'm warning you, don't mess with Fairy Tail, don't mess with people I care for."

"Is that a threat?" Minerva wasn't known for backing down and she wouldn't be anytime soon, even if she was face to face with a wild beast –that was what he was at the moment, a wild, murderous beast.

"That is but a warning, take it or leave it."

"I believe whatever bimbo of yours you asked about me wasn't quite correct." The two were now face to face glaring at each other, noses nearly touching, neither wanting to back down.

"Intelligent, beautiful and doing everything to get what you want, but also scary as hell, that's basically what everyone I asked told me about you."

"See, you have to ask about me, you don't actual know me" –

"Not anymore." It was quite, barely more than a voiceless whisper and the green eyed mage wasn't sure if she would have heard it hadn't they been that close –their foreheads nearly pressed together- to each other and was that some kind of regret she heard in his voice?

Loke sighed and pulled away, he was still clearly pissed but it seemed as if he got some control over his action back, not being ruled by his anger anymore as he stood up and deactivated the Lacrima.

"You do better remembering my warning."

Minerva glared up at the orange haired. How dare him, he had no right,- He was a mere puppet! How dare him to believe he could give her any kind of advice! Minerva opened her mouth to give the kitten a piece of her mind. Loke on the other hand only gave another sigh and run his hand through his wild mean.

"Just…grow up, will ya?" With that said the lion turned and left Minerva sitting there alone with her nearly untouched glass and his jacket around her.

-Line Break-

**After the Navel Battle one would have expected you to be down. I still remember, but as we came to you, you were happy. Yes, you hadn't won and in your words hid behind your spirits in that fight, but you believed that it could only get better, that with the help of your spirits you could become stronger. We were all so happy for you, I still remember that clearly. We wanted to celebrate with you the second you were allowed out of the bed and the Grand Magic Games were over, no matter if we won or not. It never got so far, did it? Right after the games were over…It happened and the darkness and destruction took over…No one imagined something like that could happened as we spent our last happy hours together, before everything changed.**

* * *

**So, that was the second chapter, thanks for beta-ing it go to FunahoMisaki.**

**Thanks to those who favorited or followed the story, wrote a review or just read it^^**


	3. Chapter 3

The sunrays of the morning sun shined softly through the window into the hospital room of Fairy Tail. Elfman who slept soundly in his bed, bandaged from head to toe with Evergreen who had fallen asleep next to him on the chair and slumped over so her head rested on Elfman's bed on the one side, on the other side of the room and Lucy still sleeping on her side of the room. Neither of the three let the warm morning sun brother them in their sleep, it was just too comfy in their bed, or in Evergreen's case she was too tried to let it bother her. Though the peaceful sleep didn't lasted long anymore, at least for Lucy. Turning around in her sleep the blond smiled and snuggled up to her pillow, not knowing how soon her peaceful slumber would be interrupted, by no one other but her trusted lion.

A soft golden glow appeared next to the spirit mage, forming a human sharp before disappearing, leaving the orange haired lion behind. The black suited lion smiled as he looked down at his master. How peaceful she slumbered, as if there wasn't one evil thing in the world, as if there was not one worry in it. What sick and evil minded being would dare to disrupt such a peaceful and beautiful thing, to disrupt such a peaceful slumber?

A devilish grin made its way on the lion's face. He would.

"Oh, Hime~" With a sing-sang voice and a big jolly grin on his face, the orange haired leaned forward and blew softly in Lucy's ear. Lucy frowned slightly in her sleep as the soft stream of air tickled her ear.

"Hime, time to wake up~ Raise and shine~" The lion chuckled as his asleep master tried to push him away from her with one hand, failing at it and only barley brush his cheek –and still managing to half knock off Loke's glasses. She really was a stubborn one, set on not waking up, she was a deep sleeper from time to time, making one wonder what she dreamed to be so deep asleep.

First try to wake her up failed –if she wasn't that deep down in her slumber she usualyl woke up when someone blew against her ear, she was ticklish- well, looks like it was time for plan two. With a swift movement the zodiac leader was on top of his master, grinning down at her with a grin worth of a devil. Mission wake up Lucy, plan B, sleeping Beauty.

"Hime, your knight in shining armor, your prince charming is here to awaken you from your slumber with a true loves kiss." Lucy groaned as she started to wake up slowly. First there as some annoying wind tickling her ear, now there was something heavy on top of her. Drowsy eyes cracked open. The blonde's half asleep mind needed a moment to register that Loke was on top of her and leaning down towards her face.

With a yelp Lucy pushed her spirit from her and of the bed, making Loke fall backwards onto the floor, making him hit the back of his head painfully on the floor as his lips reached their destination.

"Ouch, what was that really needed?" Lucy glared, glared even more as he dared even more as he dared to ask her, at the flirtatious lion.

"You kissed me, while I was asleep!"

"You didn't wanted to wake up."

"You kissed me!"

"It was only a small peck-"

"You kissed me without asking me first!" Loke looked at his master with a deadpanned look before responding with just as a deadpanned tone.

"You really believe I asked any girl before I gave them a small peck?" Groaning from the other side of the room made the two, spirit and master, turn towards the other two people in the room and source of the noise. Evergreen and Elfman woken up by the noise the mage and the spirit made.

"Making noise like that is not manly!" Normally Lucy would smile at Elfman's manly speech, now though…

"He kissed me! In my sleep!"

"Kissing someone is manly!-" The second oldest of the Take-Over siblings couldn't continue as Evergreen hit him.

"Shut up, you big dork! It's not manly! Kissing someone against their will is horrible." Loke sighed. This really was going out of hand, better stop it now before Evergreen decided to use her Stone eyes and turn him into stone –worked her stone eyes on spirits like him too?

"It was only a peck –on the forehead" The beast Take-over mage and the stone eyes user blinked at the flushed celestial spirit mage and the flirty lion.

"On the forehead, that's not manly, man."

"This theater because of a peck, on the forehead nerveless?"

"W-well, how would you react when you wake up and find him on top of you leaning down and then kiss you?" Tried the flushed Lucy to defeat herself, tried being the key word here. Evergreen shook only her head –and for that theater she woke up, though she too would have a similar reaction if it was a flirt like the lion was-, while Elfman mumbled something about 'not manly'.

"Well fun aside hime, it's time to get up and ready for the training. I'll be waiting outside. You've got ten minutes before I come and get you. Best you wear something comfy and no heels. No skirt would be a good idea too for the beginning." Lucy nodded that she understood and Loke left the room, bidding his farewell to Evergreen and Elfman.

Nine minutes later Lucy left the hospital room now dressed in shorts, top and heelless boots, not her most fashionable outfit- and ready for training, the lion was waiting in the hall, leaning against the opposite wall from the door in the hallway with his arms crossed. He smirked as he saw his master and raised an eyebrow in amusement.

"What?"

"Oh, nothing I just wonder what your definition of wearing something comfortable is. Not that I don't appreciate it, just you know in a fight you'll end up with cloth damage and there won't be much to damage." Lucy glared at her spirit, he was the last one she wanted to hear criticize her choice of cloths as too showing.

"I don't want to criticize you hime."

"But it is what you're doing at the moment." Loke sighed and ran his hand through his mane –that was starting to become a habit.

"Look, hime. We both know that you can be quite…daring when you want something and you're willing to use your to get it. At the same time you dislike it, when someone views you as a kind of slut just because you're okay with your body and aren't about it to use it to your advantage. That said, we both know you aren't too fond of showing more than you usually do and like I said, in combat you know that cloths are the first thing to take damage and if you don't want to show more, think a bit about it, 'kay? Moreover...you're absolutely not comfortable wearing that at least not in that mix." Lucy nodded softly. Loke did know her inside out, when did that actually happened?

Somewhere in between Edolas and Tenrou, after their fight with Brixlow already, though especially after her father's death. The lion was quite stubborn and was the one to look after her –she could get the others to leave her alone to grief, not the lion though. He was simply there most of the time, mostly just in the kitchen, cleaning something or making food, when he wasn't he simply sat at the table, the whole time as silent as possible. He wasn't in direct view and didn't tried to make her talk –something she was grateful for- but he was there the whole time always in her reach, willing to listen to her. When the others came he mostly hadn't let them notice him. They were there for her not him, he said. Lucy admitted it, it was good he didn't listen when she told him she wanted to be alone and stuck around in her apartment, if he hadn't she would have felt so alone. Yes, yes she knew the others would be there the second she called –the only reason why she got them to leave was that she used all kinds of threats on them, for Erza like example she would never get a strawberry cake again.

"What's on your mind, hime?" Lucy shook her head, before smiling brightly at the lion.

"Nothing, just thinking about how well you know me."

"What kind of prince charming would I be if I didn't?"

"Oh shut up." Loke grinned only as he pushed himself away from the wall and started walking down the hallway. Telling Lucy to follow him.

"I think Virgo can bring you some cloths later. Celestial cloths can withstand more without too much damage than earthland cloths."

-Line Break-

An unusual hectic was within the Sabertooth Guild this morning. The former Guild Master having been replaced with Sting, after the later nearly killed the old master. It was a bit of surprise, even for the daughter of the former master, but she was fast and used it to her advantage. She was able to understand the ties of friendship after all and was able to pull them according to her plan. Now she hold Sting's exceed, cat, whatever hostage, thus having control over things for the rest of the games.

Okay, so she maybe didn't like to take hostages, but she wanted to win and was willing to do everything for that. Even blackmailing someone she viewed as a friend, as far as she allowed herself such an emotional tie.

For a short recall. As Minerva returned after her –admittedly confusing- talk with the oversized kitten, her father had called everyone in for a meeting.

The reason was Rouge's and Sting's poor performance against the two Dragon Slayer of the two Fairy Tail teams. There had been an uneven number of teams, so for that round two teams had to fight together as one and the decision fell onto the two Fairy Tail teams.

In that meeting her father had tried to kill Lector –she reacted fast enough to safe the red cat- which leaded to Sting attacking Jimma, and after that –with a bit of her help- became the new Guild master.

Of course, she had saved the cat, he was useful to blackmail the light Dragon Slayer and to make him stronger.

Minerva smirked.

Sabertooth would win the Grand Magic Games, they were the strongest

-Line Break-

"I have a bad feeling about today." The two women nodded, agreeing with their blue haired teammate. There was something not right with the reason behind these games, and now there was a person running around with a similar aura to Zeref. It was even more surprising who that person was. As Jellal reached that person and she showed him her face…

Crime Society couldn't say they weren't surprised. Now though there were new questions. Questions that needed answers.

How could that person be here and how came her aura was like Zeref's?

Ultear looked at her crystal ball.

Yes, the blue haired one was right, something would happen today, something bad.

-Line Break-

The spirit of Fairy Tail's first master sat, deep in her own thoughts, on top of a roof looking over the city. Today was the last round of the games and she would make sure to give her best to bring her Guild to victory.

But something was nagging at the back of her mind. She thought she had felt her old teacher's aura nearby, but she was sure somehow that it couldn't be. He wouldn't come to a place filled with so many people, not at the risk of being unable to control his magic –which he couldn't as long as he cared.

But what if he stopped caring?

Mavis shook her head. No, for now that was not on top of her Priority list, for now winning the games was more important. She trusted her belief in her old master that he wouldn't come to a place filled with humans without a good reason and she believed that he hadn't stopped caring for life already.

Standing up, the long haired ghost jumped down onto the street. Time to see the third's/sixth's battle plan. Grinning Mavis run, better said jumped from feet to feet, to her Guild.

-Line Break-

"Princess, the Eclipse plan is ready whenever you are. You only have to open the gate." Hisui nodded only as the knight finished his report.

"Good, then we only need the Golden Keys to open it."

"Yes princess. Two of them are with Miss Yukino, the other ten with Miss Lucy Heartfilia, who's taking part in the Grand Magic Games."

"I know, and I believe it's agreeable to wait until the last round is over to get those. If we would now and somehow hinder the girl in taking part in the last round the audience would be letdown."

"Then, after the games are over I'll directly get the Heartfilia girl." Hisui only nodded again, before excusing herself and leaving the knight behind.

Now, all alone walking through the halls she started to worry again, for the safety of her kingdom. She would do everything just to make sure it was safe and its people could live in peace. And for that she had to finish the Eclipse plan, it was her only choice when she wanted to protect her kingdom. Her friend told her all about it. Sure, she still didn't believe him fully so she had planned to wait until after the games were over and if what her friend told her would happen in the last round was true.

If it wasn't she wouldn't use the Eclipse plan and if it what he said was true she would, not that she would have much of a choice-

So, she too awaited the last round to begin this midday.

-Line Break-

He could feel it. The time was slowly but surely coming. He sighed. How many eras did he see coming to an end? It always was the same in the end. The black haired sighed again and opened his eyes, looking thru the trees leafs and branches into the clear blue sky.

It was the one thing that always stayed the same since he could remember. Night and day always be the same. It was one thing he was sure of. Always there, looking down on the land, watching it change and burn, but always staying the same and separating the world of the starts from these lands. And now, it would once again witness an era's end. Not today, not tomorrow but soon. He was could feel it, since that day seven years ago. Since the black dragon came to Tenrou Island.

That black winged monster once human that destroyed his life so long ago.

"Natsu, become stronger." The dark mage stood up brushing the dirt off his cloths. Yes, his hope to finally leave this nightmare his life became centuries ago, was without a doubt Natsu, was E.N.D.

It was coming, this era's end. He could feel it and this time, hopefully, he too would end with this era, so he finally could be…

"Kova."

-Line Break-

"By the way, Natsu told me that we tied in the Navel Battle, and team A and B won the round after it. Our teams had been put together for that round, other sent in two from each team and we just one from each team that had to fight together."

"That's good I take it? Didn't know that there was a possibility for a tie."

"Me neither. I was under the impression that after one got out of the sphere after the time was up get second place. Guess you impressed them so much they decided to make it a tie."

"Either way, it's good for us, isn't it? We got more points."

Loke stopped walking, making Lucy nearly bumping into him.

"I think, here's a good place for training." They both stood in an open area, surrounded by some trees and far enough away from any building as to not destroy or damage them –Lucy doubted she could damage them any time soon- and still close enough so others could easily find them, if they wanted to.

"So what are we going to start with?"

"First, hime, I got one question to make sure. There's another round later, isn't there?"

"Yeah, the last one, though I don't know who's going to fight." Loke nodded while being in his own thoughts.

"A wild guess would be all, simply so all can show what they got one last time. Unfortunately I don't know a way to drill everything, no matter how small it is, into you in just a few hours. Hibiki and his archive magic could be helpful now. It could take care of the theoretical and give the needed information directly to your brain, which for the start wouldn't be too bad. It wouldn't be right to ask him thought. While you're friends and all, to ask him to do something that would reduce his own Guild's chance. I also fear I wouldn't be able to get it allowed for him, at least not from the books in the royal Library… So we'll have to do this the traditional way, this way we also get your body to remember it on instinct right away, instead of you always having to use your brain first." Lucy stared at her orange haired friend, who in return raised an eyebrow as if to ask, what.

"Nothing, just a bit hard to believe you can be serious like this. Normally you chase whatever got more than one X chromosome and wears a skirt."

"Which guy doesn't like being in the company of beautiful women? And moreover, I am very cable of being serious – don't make that face, you know it's true – I just don't like it, never did, never will." Lucy opened her mouth to ask further but got interrupted by her spirit.

"Let's start training, shall we?" A curt nod was all Lucy needed to give as answer for a spirit to continue.

"Usually we would start different, but as we're under a bit of time pressure here and it's close to impossible to get you on the same level as the others before the next round starts…But we won't let that dampen our mood. It shouldn't stop us after all. We simply, like already said, start a bit different."

"How are we starting different?" Loke crossed his arms over his chest and gave Lucy a thoughtful look.

"Usually we would start with contracting on the basics to build up your muscle mass before we go for the more advanced techniques and to using spells effective in combat. We don't really have time to drill all the basics into you, so it's best if we go for the defensive for now, a good defense is always a good ground in battle. Moreover, as we simply can't build up enough muscle mass in that short time most offensive hand-to-hand combat would be simply useless as the others could go and over power you easily and the fact that you don't have enough experience for a direct fight with most of the fighters here would make it a total waste of time, if we contract too much on offensive. Next to defense we try and get a few minor spells into your head, so you can aid us and confuse your opponent with them…Scorpio, Aquarius and Aries spells would be the most useful for the start…if we got time I'll also try to teach you a basic light spell to blind your opponent. Also we should use the time we have to think of a few tricks you can use in combat…for that we should consult Capricorn…So but for now…", Loke clapped his hands in a fashion to tell Lucy to get ready and a smirk that seemed as if Loke had too much fun with this, "just do as I tell you to."

And so Lucy's first training session under Loke and her other Spirits begun.

Three hours later Lucy laid on her back in the grass, breathing heavily. That lion could be a real slave driver. She wasn't sure if it maybe wouldn't have been better if she let herself get beaten up by Minerva…

Capricorn and Loke stood a few meters away. Both looking satisfied, in the lion's case with a smirk to underline it and both looked proud too.

"Well done Miss Lucy. I remember Sir Leo to be a lot more difficult as a student."

"Thanks, Capricorn. So now I got some basic defense moves and two spells down, huh? What next?"

"As we still got time, hime, you could call Virgo. She could help you with your whip and show how to use the surroundings more with it. After that, if we still have time I'll try to teach you the light spell to blind opponents."

"Using the surroundings?" Capricorn nodded as he answered for Loke.

"Yes, Sir Leo is right. Lady Virgo is quite gifted with the whip and surely could give you the one or other about what to do and teach you the one or other trick." Lucy sat up, placing her elbows on her knees and her chin in her palm. She only used Virgo for her Driver magic, but there were a few times, where the maid showed her talent with the whip –using her chains as one sometimes. She never really considered asking the maid about it. She simply took it as the way it was. She did consider her spirits her friends, that was the main reason why she never asked them too much about themselves. She thought her friends would come to her themselves, if they wanted to tell her something about themselves, otherwise she wouldn't prey.

"I guess you're right, that's a good idea. Thanks for today's help." The humanoid goat nodded and disappeared back into the spirit world. Loke was here on his own account, using his own magic to stay on earthland, so she didn't have to worry about him using her magic up.

"You summoned four of us one after another, while learning a few spells- most basic they may be- are you sure you want to summon another right away?" Lucy looked at the lion, smiling brightly at him and giving him all the answers he needed.

"All right, go on."

-Line Break-

One-hundred-thirty eight…one-hundred-thirty nine….one-hundred-forty…

Happy watched as the fire Dragon Slayer made one push up after another. He really wanted to win this round, he had been training since this morning.

"Oi, Happy! The how many was this?" Caught.

"I…I stopped counting at one-hundred-something."

"Again? Well then, let's start over!" Yes, Natsu really wanted to be ready for the last round.

"Aye!"

One…two…three…

-Line Break-

"Again!"

"Yes, Gray-sama!" The ice-mage and the water mage too were busy preparing themselves for the last round, training since the early morning hours like the rest. They maybe weren't in the same teams during the games, but they still were in the same Guild after all. Not to forget they both noticed sometimes ago how useful it was for both of them.

Gray admitted that in the beginning, he was surprised that Juvia didn't fangirl-ed over him as much during the training. Not that he minded that she was attracted to him, he just minded that she tend to forget everything around her when she had one of her moments again.

One of Juvia's water attacks hit Gray head on, throwing him onto his back.

"Gray-sama!" The blue haired mage hurried over to the other mage to help him up.

"I'm fine. That one was good, if you land a hit like that in the last round the others will be in trouble." He smiled shortly before turning serious again and attacked Juvia, which she dodged.

"Let's continue."

"Yes. Gray-sama!"

-Line Break-

The sound of steal hitting wood resounded through the forest, as Erza's swords hit the tree trunk she was practicing her swordplay on. The last round was getting closer by the minute and she wanted her swordsmen skills to be on top. If she had to fight someone like Kagura, she needed to give it her all. With a cracking sound the tree trunk split into two. She would sharpen her swords before the last round began.

-Line Break-

There was no doubt. With how many came. The noise. Yes, there was no doubt. Not only the Guilds could not await the last round, everyone from all over the lands of Fiore couldn't await it. This year's games were just insane. No one could name one, since the first Grand Magic Games, that was anywhere close to this and it showed.

The stadium was full, with so many excited people. It was full. It was loud. It was the last round of the Grand Magic Games and it began now.

-Line Break-

"You're ready Luce?" Natsu looked at the blond at his right.

"Yes, I've been preparing the whole morning with my spirits. Even if I won't be able to stand a chance against someone of you guys in hand-to-hand combat, I got the one or another trick of how to use my spirits and the area itself, so I'd be able to trick my opponent." Grinning Natsu nodded. He had full confidence in Lucy's abilities –maybe even more than she herself- and was happy that she had confidence in them too. Gray, who stood behind Lucy, put his hand onto her shoulder in a supporting manner.

"We all have full confidence in your abilities and no matter what, we all help each other out when needed."

"And we have nothing to worry about. We already showed everyone what we got. They know we win."

"Like Erza-san said. We all are going to give it our best, in the worst case come to me and I'll heal you."

"You guys are all right, we're gonna rock this round." The team grinned at each other, none of them doubted that they win, so let the round begin.

-Line Break-

An all vs all, just her luck. With all the fighting and all, there was a chance she'd ran into Minerva or Jura, one of the ten wizard saints. With her luck maybe a member of Team B too.

Okay, calm down, take a breath and thing, first things first. She was in the moment in a side alley and could see people coming, as long as they didn't jump down on her from one of the roofs, so she could get some tactic-thinking done. T

here were seven teams, five players each, so all in all there were thirty-five people. Minus ten, who were with her in one of Fairy Tail's teams, five of those won't be fought until the end. She shouldn't try to run into someone of the stronger ones too, like Kagura or Minerva. She could try to fight someone from Blue Pegasus or Quatro Cerberus . There also were the other Guilds. Mermaid heels and Lamia Scale, against Lyon or Kagura her chances were slim. Not getting taken out could also help, as the other teams wouldn't get a point for beating her. So sticking to the shadows, keeping in the background could be a good tactic. Still, she wanted to fight so…

"My, my what's a little pixie doing here all alone? Even the kitten left you?" Lucy's blood ran cold. She had been too deep in her own thoughts. She hadn't noticed someone coming. What good did a hiding place do if she didn't pay attention to if someone was coming? And now the worse person, worse than Jura in her eyes, as an opponent stood there, mere feets away, smirking.

Somehow she wasn't too sure about fighting anymore. What should she do again when havening to face her again? Loke told her something, she was sure of it, but what it was escaped her mind.

Was it hiding?

Screaming like a little girl?

Punching her nose?

Insulting her?

No, no that wasn't it.

Running? No. No it was-

"Dodge." Lucy stood still, paralyzed by fear as Minerva open her palm, facing her and a sadistic smirk on Minerva's face as she told Lucy to doge –just mere seconds before shooting the magic beam at her.

"Open Gate of the Lion!"

"You really should stop getting into situations like this, hime. I'll start to think you're doing it on purpose just so I would come and save you." Lucy sighed relieved at the familiar voice of the person holding her. That was a close call, Minerva nearly got her. Good thing she remembered what Loke told her to do when facing Minerva. He wanted her to call him, because for whatever reason he had taken a personal interest in her, one that wasn't about his usual interest in woman.

Loke placed his master down onto her feet again, so that he was now standing in between the blond and the black haired, before turning to face the green eyed woman.

"Long time no see, my beautiful war-goddess, missed me?" The territory mage glared at the spirit, who only smiled in return. It wasn't that much of a surprise for either of the two that they faced each other again. For Minerva because she knew she wouldn't settle for a tie. For Loke because he had this feeling that the black haired would come back to settle their score. So in the end it really wasn't a surprise that thy faced each other in battle again.

"Now would be a good time for you to leave, Luce."

"Eh, but you can't-"

"Oh yes I can. Neither of us has to nor will be holding back this time. As much as I love you, this is a one-on-one fight. A third person mixed into this only throws the whole thing off. So move along." Loke made a gesture with his hand for Lucy to leave, while not taking his eyes of Minerva for just a second.

"I'll take care of her. You go and defeat others. It's a win-win situation for both of us." The celestial spirit mage looked at the zodiac for a moment.

"Okay, but watch out will you?" Was it right to leave him? He did want to fight, but it was her fight, or was it? No, it maybe was hers by the games rules and Loke was only considered part of her magic –whole reason why he could fight and get points for Fairy Tail, was because he was contracted to her and as thus counted as her magic, even if he still had the Guild stamp on his back. But this fight…it seemed to be something between those two, something personal for both of them. It wasn't hard to guess why Minerva was so interested in it, but why Loke was, that was a different question.

"Don't worry, just go and make sure to defeat as many as possible."

"Got it." Lucy nodded once more, before following Loke's order and hurrying away.

Now the serious battle began.

He hated it, he really hated it, he despised being serious since ever. Still, looking at the black haired in front of him, this was like getting a little, scared child's trust –a serious matter, where you had to thing serious but at the same time couldn't act serious as to not scare the child even more.

"Been so worried about the little pixie that you send her away, right away?"

"Nah, more like I wanted to get us some alone time." Minerva glared at the orange haired. How he annoyed her. Was he taking her serious or not? She didn't know. Why was he acting the way he was towards her? Just yesterday in that bar as example. He didn't behave like she expected him to and especially not like someone, whose Guild fought against hers. Was he simply that much of a flirt? Was there more behind his behavior? And what did he mean yesterday, with the part about not knowing her anymore?

"You know, Minerva, I don't understand you." Loke dodged the incoming magic attack aimed at him. The woman really didn't wait with attacking him.

"And what makes you believe you have a right to understand me?" A kick from behind –Minerva had teleported behind the lion and attacked him with a kick.

"I'm worried about you." Blocking a fist aimed at his face Loke countered with ramming his knee into Minerva's stomach.

"Don't make me laugh." A greenish magic beam passed the lion's ear and made the house wall behind him crumbled into dust. What a hassle. Neither went all out. They were playing with each other, dancing around the other. Both checking out what the other could do, would do. Minerva attacked, Loke dodged or blocked, Loke attacked and it was the other way around. An endless dance. A sad, destructive one but never the less a dance.

Dodging another incoming kick by jumping over it, the lion clad his fist into the royal golden light of Regulus t counter attack. A smirk curled up Minerva's lips. Gotcha. A greenish sphere created itself around the lion, effectively catching him in it. She got him, or at least that was what she believed at the moment. Loke on the other hand was aware of the fact a fact Minerva wasn't –he had Aquarius check it for him yesterday, to make sure he was right. Like water magic had an advance against fire magic and fire against ice magic, there was a magic effective against space magic like Minerva's too, and it wasn't time magic. And how lucky for him, he knew it –even in the worst case and he didn't know it, he could always got himself a ring for his ring magic with a Lacrima built in that was effective against the Territory magic. Loke's smirk surprised Minerva.

"What are you smirking about?"

"I told you before, I'm lucky you're only so far with your magic, though I also appreciate the view, if you get what I mean." At the last part the lion nodded towards Minerva's chest, the cut of her dress did gave him a good view on it from his position, he wouldn't be himself if he didn't notice it after all. And usually the other party in question would get flushed, in Minerva's case it only made her more angry.

"What do you mean, lucky?"

"Chee, and still not giving in to my charms? So fixed on wanting to know why I'm at the advantage here? All right, I tell you", the smirk on the handsome face grew, "if you kiss me"

Twitch.

Twitch.

"What?!" Loke's ears –the lion ears on top of his head mind you- twitched and he was quite sure he's not only heard Minerva shout. Through finally he got her flushed too. His smirk was still perfect in place.

"You heard me."

"You're crazy."

"Yes, yes I am, crazy for you."

"You're mad."

"Not madder than the rest of the world." Minerva's glare harden. The kitten really got under her skin. Actually, what was stopping her from killing that stupid kitten, he was barely more than magic energy by the rules and nothing forbid killing him. So nothing, nothing was stopping her. Nothing but that little fact that the kitten hold information that could make her stronger. That was the only reason why she put up with him. God was he annoying.

Loke continued smirking while watching the black haired woman, but with every second he became sadder and sadder. He could feel his heart beating painfully in sorrow, every beat a bit more and with every beat it hurt more. He couldn't help but wonder what could have happened, had he been faster. Not that he could blame himself –not really- it wasn't like with Karen, he couldn't be held responsible in the slightest as the only reason it had a connection to him was because he made that connection, willingly or not didn't really matter.

A way too high paid job, if the description had been right –which it wasn't.

Another sorrowful thud in his chest. Was missing knowledge an excuse? The lion shook his head, his gaze still fixed on Minerva. Was she really fighting the way people said she was? Was she planning on fighting that way? Like the person people admired on the outside but were afraid to face in battle?

"Let's make a deal, kitten." She still spaded that nickname –as much as he disliked being referred to as kitten it was a kind of nickname now it seemed-out like poison, but what she wanted to say made him raise an eyebrow in question.

"We finish these games. If my Guild, if Sabertooth, wins you tell me what I want to know."

Loke nodded. That didn't sounded like a bad deal at all, "but if Fairy Tail wins, you listen to me."

"Why should I?"

"Well, first of all I know the trick of getting out of here, so I don't have to make a deal."

Minerva frowned. She didn't have an argument against that, but still, "that doesn't mean I agree to a deal that is close torture, considering I would have to listen to you."

Loke sighed. That woman was stubborn, really, really suborn. In the end they wanted the same thing, she wanted to know what he knew and he wanted her to listen to what he got to say, he would tell her what he knew about her magic than too, but he would also remind her of why she was important to him. But this stubbornness…just where did she got it from? He only met her for a really short time. He didn't have much time to talk with that person but…Loke closed his eyes as he remembered that suffocating darkness and the foul smell. He could still remember the blood on his hands…No…He opened his eyes against.

"You really are stubborn and blind at the same time. Who did you get it from? It has to be your father. I can't remember your mother having this blind stubbornness."

* * *

**Thanks for beta-ing goes to FunahoMisaki.**


	4. Chapter 4

Lucy hurried through the streets. It had been silent for the last few minutes out of the direction where she left Loke and Minerva. She wondered what happened back there. Was the lion alright? She stopped, standing in the middle of the street. Maybe she should go back and see if he was alright? She could summon a second spirit to help him fight… 'Ah, no, no, no! I have to find someone I can fight against and win to get points! Loke said he wanted to face Minerva alone!'

Steps echoed through the silence around her, coming out of an alley to her right. So now her battle came, huh? Taking her whip into her hands, she turned to face the alley ready to battle. The steps became louder, the person came closer. Gulp. Lucy tightened her grip around her whip handle. Usual she would try and avoid fighting, but it was time for her to fight for once, wasn't it? The person exited the alley and Lucy breathed a sigh in relief of seeing a friendly face, even if she would have to fight him.

"Hibiki"

"Lucy", the blond Blue Pegasus mage greeted, "it looks like we're going to fight, huh?" Lucy nodded in agreement.

"Then let us make this a fair one, shall we? I'm not going to hold back."

"Neither will I!" Hibiki nodded acknowledging the girl's words as he raised his hands.

Lucy jumped aside, as the monitors appeared in front of her, before they could explode in her face. The magical whip Lucy had gotten from Lucy from Virgo swished through the air, barley missing the other mage as he called for another monitor to protect him. Hibiki was good at what he was doing, but he was no fighter, he was more of a person for getting information and planning a tactic. In other words, a good opponent for Lucy, they both used their brains more than their brawn and would choose an intellectual solution over a punch someone's nose in solution. This wouldn't be just a battle of power but one of intelligence too.

Lucy's whip warped itself around Hibiki's ankle, pulling his leg away from beneath him – he just managed to keep himself from kissing the floor by letting himself fall backwards, while his foot was pulled forward and thus landing on his behind. A screen exploded next to Lucy's feet, making her lose her contraction for a moment and thus the whip loosen, giving Hibiki the chance to get his foot free from the whip and back onto his feets. Sure, they both agreed this to be a fair fight, but that didn't kept them from using every possible tactic and trick they could think of – as long as it was with in their magic abilities it still counted as fair after all. They used their abilities in every way possible to get any further, Hibiki his archive magic and Lucy her whip –she didn't wanted to use too much magic just now. Still, she would have to think of something soon. Maybe she had an idea, she didn't want to use too much magic just now and it would cost her some but it was her best shoot against an opponent like Hibiki.

A snapping sound echoed through the street as the whip swished through the air. By jumping aside Hibiki managed to dodge at the last second. He had to be careful, Lucy was good with the whip and could still summon spirits like the archer or the mermaid. He was a bit at a disadvantage if she did summon a spirit like one of those two. Usual he wouldn't do this if not needed, he reminded himself, but before Lucy could summon a spirit he had to finish this.

He snapped his fingers, a few dozen and more screens appeared around Lucy. The spirit mage looked surprised through the space between two monitors at the other mage. That was going to be an explosion –just what she needed-. The monitors cracked and busted into a big explosion, Lucy in the middle of it.

It wasn't long before everything was deadly silent again.

The brain of the Trimens hurried to the small crater the blond laid in. He just wanted to make sure she was alright and just knocked out, he didn't wanted to hurt her badly just so he would win, just to knock her out after all. Before he managed to get further than two feets close to the unconscious mage though, a knee collided with the side of his head, throwing him a few feets away. His back hit the hard ground under him and he sharply grasped for air.

What was that? Did someone waited for him and Lucy to finish their fight before they attacked the winner? That would be mean.

He turned around and stood up to face his new opponent. He should get the fight further away from her, to make sure the blond wouldn't get any more damage just because she got into the crossfire while being out.

Hibiki couldn't think of much of a plan as he saw his new opponent. How could that be? That couldn't be. There before him stood a second Lucy!

He could only come up with one explanation: Transformation magic.

There were only two people he knew who used transformation magic. Mirajane and Jenny. He doubted Mirajane would turn into her beaten friend just to catch him of off guard and Jenny was in his team, so hadn't any reason to attack him. Who else knew transformation magic here? Maybe Mirajane taught Lucy? But that wouldn't explain why there were two Lucys looking totally identical, through one unconscious and hurt because of his last attack.

Wait.

Lucy, transformation, two in different places?

Hibiki dodged a whip slash by the second Lucy by jumping aside.

Who was the real Lucy now? The one laying on the ground or the one attacking? Hibiki wasn't sure as he again dodged under a whip slash.

"Wh-what?!" A second whip came out of nowhere and warped itself around his torso, binding his arms to his upper body, hindering him from using his arms –even his fingers he couldn't move with how the whip had warped itself around him. The other Lucy. She wasn't unconscious. She used her own whip to keep him in one place and wouldn't be able to defend himself anymore.

"Gemi! Mini! Now!" The second Lucy, the one that didn't hold him in his place and wasn't hurt, glowed at the other blondes words and changed…into him! The other him, Gemini, smirked at him and snapped his finger.

'Oh snap', Hibiki thought as dozens of monitors appeared around him and exploded.

"Thanks Gemi, Mini", Lucy smiled at the Gemini Hibiki who plopped into his two small and alien looking selves.

"Piri-Piri!" The golden key in Lucy's hand glowed and the spirit returned to his world.

Lucy sighed relieved. She had to thank the twins spirit properly later and Capricorn too for bringing this idea of asking the twin spirits to help her like this up. It was luck, she thought, that she was able to call the spirits a short moment before the explosion started and that she was able to use two of the spells Loke taught her earlier -a shield spell that prevented her from being knocked out and a light spell so Hibiki wouldn't notice her summoning the twins spirits, as he would believe that she light came from the explosion-. Not to forget that she talked the plan through with the two of them earlier that they would transform into and act like her right away when summoned so this trick would work on mot she could have ended up fighting.

Well, at least she got a point for her team, though she didn't like fighting her friends that much. Sure, for fun –through she didn't saw as much fun it as Natsu- and training was something different, but to approach this whole thing like Sabertooth hell bend on winning was just a big no in her books. Yes, she wanted to win and all, but she didn't want to do it like Sabertooth, who –she was quite sure- would go and sell their own grandmother if that mean they would win.

-Line Break-

"So…Miss Lucy wasn't knocked out and only acted as if she was to trick Hibiki?" Chapati looked confused at the other two commentators, "that means the point goes to team Fairy Tail A instead of Blue Pegasus, doesn't it?"

"It does seem like it. Indeed a clever trick she used there, but would it work a second time?", the old friend of Makarov kept mostly calm and silent while watching the fights, even if that didn't kept him from commenting when asked.

The fight between Lucy and Hibiki was not the only one on the monitors. There was the heated battle between Minerva and Loke, which had only gotten more heated after Loke gotten out of the sphere Minerva tried to hold him in.

There were also Kagura and Erza, who would run into each other soon the way it looked as they both headed to the same destination. And both sky slayers, Wend and Sherria, were still walking around looking for someone to fight.

This surely was going to be an interesting final round. With what power those mages processed every fight would have something interesting to watch.

And, ah there were Mirajane and Jenny, just having run into each other in the streets.

-Line Break-

"Hello Jenny", the white haired Take-over mage greeted her friend she already won against in an earlier round.

"Mira" Jenny greeted with a smile. Exactly the one she wanted to fight. She still was a bit peeved about her last lose because of that bet they made –it was so embarrassing- even if the bet was her idea. Well now, lucky her, she got a second chance.

"This time I won't lose to you." Mirajane tilted her head slightly aside and smiled a warm smile.

"What kind of bet do you want to make this time? Does the loser have to post for pictures again?" The blond shook her head, blond curls swiping with the movement through the air.

"Not today. After all, today is about defeating as many as possible, so no need to impress a jury or making petty bet.s"

"Petty bets?" Mirajane looked thoughtful, tipping her finger against her cheek, "if I remember correctly, weren't you pretty upset about losing the bet?"

Jenny growled at her friend's words, hands clenching into fists. "It was a petty bet, got it?!"

Mirajane, "All right, whatever you say. Should we start than, going all out from the beginning?" Jenny nodded and transformed with her Take-Over magic into her battle form, at the same time as Mirajane turned into her Satan Soul: Stiri.

Charging at each other, both loaded their magical attacks.

"Hi-ya!"

"Kya!" With a crash Jenny landed in a wall, being completely over powered by Mirajane who released her Take-over.

"This was fun. We have to do it again sometime" The white haired smiled as she waved at her friend before hurrying away to get another point by defeating another mage.

Fairy Tail Team B's points raised by one.

-Line Break-

"Iron-"

"Shadow-"

"Dragon Roar!" The two Dragon Slayer magic met halfway, creating an explosion. Both Dragonslayer jumped back, out of the dust cloud that was created by the explosion.

"Gajeel-san." The Shadow Dragon slayer whipped some blood away from his mouth with the back of his hand.

'He's strong', thought Rouge. He always wanted to fight the Iron Dragonslayer, since he hears of him all those years ago he admired him. Though, as he heard that his idol had been unable to slay a dragon and disappeared god knows where, Rouge was devastated and angry at his idol for disappointing him like that. Devastated that his idol could to that to him, to disappoint him like that.

Rouge dogged into the shadows to not be hit by Gajeel's fist that had turned into iron.

Yesterday Natsu beat him and Sting. He totally overpowered them. He whipped the floor with both of them. Rouge wondered if Gajeel was just as strong as the pink haired Dragonslayer, he wanted to know, he needed to know.

He dogged another iron fist and went to attack himself.

-Line Break-

"First Master." Makarov looked at the blond master that looked like a child.

"There're a few things happening I haven't calculated right. Mostly their true relationships.", Mavis nodded at the screen that showed Loke and Minerva.

"Spirits are always a bit of a wild card for a strategist. Another person that could but doesn't have to show up and join the fight. I did believe that Minerva would seek out either Erza, because she's the strongest female in Fairy Tail or Lucy because of the Navel Battle. That Lucy would go and summon Loke then I expected too. But that he insist for Lucy to leave and so giving her the chance to defeat someone else while he fights Minerva." It was good this way in the end. One of the strongest mages of their greatest rival Guild was kept busy this way and even if Loke lost, they wouldn't get points for it and Minerva would have used a lot of magical energy to fight him. If Loke won, they simply would get the point as Loke counted as a part of Lucy's magic. Not to forget that Lucy had other spirits too.

Mavis learned a long time ago that spirits weren't simply marionettes. They had consciousness and awareness like humans and other living beings and they had feelings and emotions and to view a being with such as a marionette was disgusting. Also, they were one of the few that could survive being hit by Zeref's death magic, because of what they were and were able to counter it at least basically and in theory –her master once told her about it. Moreover, even if many tended to forget it, they had feelings and a mind of their own and one should treat them like a living human being, because then they would be willing to do nearly everything for their friend and master, like Lucy's spirits did. Spirits were, when they trusted and cared for someone on of the loyalist beings in the world her master once taught her.

"How do you think it will end, first master?"

"I am praying for Fairy Tail to win, but the other fighters are strong too. The fact that Minerva is now using up her magic and wouldn't get points when beating Loke, we're at an advantage here. If Loke beats Minerva and goes fighting others after that we'd have even more of an advantage. But, taking a spirit into ones calculation is one of the hardest tasks for a technician, because spirits are always a wild card, no matter how loyal they are." Makarov nodded, but thought it to be necessary to inform the first master of something she didn't had been informed of before.

"Loke was, is a member of Fairy Tail too." To say that the first master was surprised wasn't even a lie. She never heard of a case where a spirit joined his or hers master's guild. That was a loyalty that surprised even her.

"He is?"

"Yes, he became a member two years before Lucy, while he was banned from the Celestial Spirit World. He was hold responsible for his former Master's death." Now Mavis turned her head towards the sixth master.

"He was banned?"

The sixth master nodded, remembering the story Lucy and Loke told him after they formed a contract and told him of the reason why Loke left the Guild –not that he ever did as long as he still had the Guild stamp on him.

"Yes, he was banned and lived on earthland for three years, two of them as a member of Fairy Tail, before he formed a contract with Lucy."

"Three years? That's impressive. I never had heard of a case were a spirit survived for longer than a few days on their own in earthland, unless they fussed with a human. Their magical force, which basically resembles their life force, would simply give out."

"Neither did I ever hear of a case like this. Maybe someone had mercY on him and let him continue living or his will and magical core is simply that strong."

Mavis agreed with a nod. That was something she was surely interested in and she would ask the spirit on a later date about it, also why he was actual blamed for his former master's death and banned. For now though, she'd let it rest. Mavis knew it was painful and a draining for a spirit to stay on earthland on their own and would usual kill one after a bit over a week. Moreover the among of magic it cost…

If he did stay on earthland for three years…Mavis could only wonder how powerful he was when not holding back or being summoned, as most people couldn't summon their spirits at full strength. How strong was he in his world, where he could use his full power without a handicap?

-Line Break-

Natsu jumped down a roof and knocked out a member of Quatro puppies with an in flames cladded fist. Point number five for him. So far he knocked out a member of mermaid heels –that friend of Erza's-, one of Laminar Scale and two of Quatro puppies. Small worms but he was searching for Sting and other members of Sabertooth before one of them could run into Wendy or Lucy. Sure, they both maybe strong, but Sabertooth was ruthless and he didn't wanted anything happen to the two girls.

So he was looking for the strongest one and knocked out the small flies on the way, he could make sure that nothing happened to the two girls, fool proofed plan.

"All right! Where are you Sabertooth?! I'm all fired up!" The fire Dragonslayer hurried further through the city. He would make sure that Sabertooth wouldn't -couldn't- hurt his friends.

-Line Break-

Hisui watched from her place. So far so good. There still wasn't an end in sight. She wouldn't rush things. She would wait and see if the person was right about how things would turn out with the games and if said person was right she would start the Eclipse plan. Until then she had to wait and see. She contracted on the fight again she found the most interesting.

The fight between Sabertooth strongest mage and the leader of the zodiacs.

-Line Break-

The stone fence, that was meant to keep people from falling down onto the streets below, crumbled into pieces.

The person that stood on it until now jumped aside, kicking one of the bigger pieces at his opponent. No one could blame him for saying that this was getting out of control, totally.

Half the area they were in now and he was quite sure the ally they were in before too, were nearly fully reduced to dust and debris. They went all out now –he even hadn't had the time to get annoyed with his jacket being ripped to shreds much less mourning it-. At last its sacrificed was for a good cause, he managed to send Minerva from the roof of a three story house because he used his jacket to take the attack for him and dodged around it himself, directly going for a counter.

He smirked. It seemed they were equal in strength.

Still, there were a few advantages he had. Firstly, he lived longer than she already and had more experience. Secondly he knew her magic -even things she didn't even know about-, while she hadn't any advance knowledge about his. Thirdly, he wasn't completely in rage and thus he could think straighter and his mind was clearer.

He grabbed a flag mast than hang horizontal to the ground and swung around, dodging another incoming attack and landing with his feet on the metal mast. One advances when you're fighting Brixlow and somehow want to get close to him, you learn the one or other acrobatic trick –like balancing on this thin flag mast while around and under you were explosions, making the building the mast was attached to shake.

He was quite happy that Lucy listened to him and left and that Minerva really hasn't followed her. Sure, it was most likely that she would have been pissed enough to target him as soon as he showed up –another reason why he asked Lucy to call him when facing her- but still, she could have taken Lucy hostage to force him to give up. Luckily it didn't happened and Lucy got away, so she wouldn't end as collateral damage.

Loke jumped of the mast, not a second too early as it crushed into pieces together with the wall next to it as soon as he jumped off.

Landing swiftly on his feet in a kneeling position, with his hands on the ground behind Minerva he turned around, swiping his outstretched leg over the ground and knocking the black haired mage off of her feet. Minerva felt backwards and Loke took this moment to ram his elbow into her cross and with one swift movement standing up again and turning one-hundred eighty degrees around his own axle, grabbing her head and trashing it on the hard floor below their feet.

The floor cracked.

Cracks appeared around her vision and she could feel a thin trail of blood trickling down her temple, going along her eyebrow and down the side of her face.

The grip on her head loosened and Minerva rolled her eyes up. Looking through his separated fingers Minerva glared up to the oversized kitty. He was toying with her! He was humiliating her! In the worse way possible. He had held back, he didn't take her serious! He didn't went all out, he stopped. She noticed it. A short moment, a mere blink of the eye and one would have missed it for sure, shortly before he crushed her head into the ground he stopped. He stopped and thus took a great deal of force out of his move. If he hadn't she would surely have gotten more damage than a small bleeding wound or a headache.

The grip loosed completely and the orange haired jumped back, out of her limps reach, landing with his knees bend in a kneeling position again. Clever, so she couldn't hit him directly without him seeing her movements. She didn't wanted to use her most powerful spell on him already –that wouldn't be the victory she wanted, she wanted to beat him, humiliate him, make him regret to ever having cross her, and her spell would prevent her from doing just that- so, so far she only used her magic only in her basic ways of using it, which meant that the further he was away, the easier he could doge her spells.

She pulled herself up. She would destroy him. No one would better her, no one would. She was the strongest and she would destroy everyone who said else. She glared further at the oversized kitten.

How dare he?! How dare he to look at her with such an expression?! How dare he to look at her with pity! She could feel the hatred inside of her flare up. She'll destroy him.

Shooting a greenish-blackish magic beam at him, one after another, she charged at him. A fist flew at him. He side stepped it and turned around as he pulled himself up again to re-do his move from earlier, to throw Minerva onto the ground again through his turn. He grabbed her hand to pull her forward, to make her stumble so he could hit her into the back again…

This time through Minerva was prepared for Loke to try throwing her to the ground again. She bent her body so that she could catch herself with her hands, and forcing Loke to let go of it, as otherwise he would have been pulled along with her and with a cartwheel movement get back to her feet.

"You're a fast learner. You recognized right away that I would try the same move again."

"Save your breath for someone who cares to listen to you."

"You're so cold." The lion knocked Minerva's arm away as she tried to hit him again, in the same moment as he kicked her, hitting her waist with his knee, making her lose a bit of her footing. The territory mage dodged another attack of the lion through jumping up into the air. She turned around her own axle and used the momentum to kick Loke's head. The force, reinforced through the momentum of her turning around herself, threw him down, sideways and he ended up on his back. Minerva stood above him, her open palm facing him and her magic collecting itself in a greenish sphere in front of it.

"Any last words before I shut you up once and for all?" Normally Minerva wouldn't make such an amateur mistake like this and let her enemy the chance to collect himself, to counter –not that she thought of that at the moment. Usual she would finish him off right away, but he just pissed her off so much, so, so much, that she wasn't thinking straight.

Loke smirked, it was easy to get his opponent caught off guard, and funny.

"Next time wear a shorter skirt or nothing at all"

"What?" It was easy to get her off guard and then it was easy to hit her. People like her, who always clinged to the last thread of control, where easily shaken when something happened that they didn't expected, that they couldn't control and it let them make mistakes easily which shaken them even more, when things happened they weren't used to and it made it easy for him.

A golden light hit Minerva squad in the chest and threw her back a few feets before she landed like the spirit did before on her back.

She grasped for air. Damn that cocky kitten bastard. Damn him. She knew, she shouldn't have given him time to think, to say something, to get a way out of his thigh spot. She cursed under her breath. She should have seen that coming. If she hadn't had wasted time like that, he wouldn't had have time to use his magic, to get her off guard, she would have won. That stupid, stupid, cocky little kitty.

She actually didn't want to use these spells on him, wanted to save them for other opponents, after all she only went for him, for his master, first because of the Navel Battle, but now it seemed like she had to go, she didn't had much of a choice if she wanted to win this. Damn that cocky kitty. She had wanted those spells for when she was fighting Erza! But no, now she had to use them on a stupid little spirit kitten! It seemed she had made a mistake, when calculating his strength and fighting technique.

He was stronger than she thought, than she expected and most of all stronger than he let on. Sure, he was cocky and arrogant and behaved like a womanizing bastard and didn't let on what he was thinking or cable off, but the whole time during their fight, not once was he really worried about that fight he joked, made comments and countered her attacks. That was something one would only do when he was either completely overestimate himself or actual had the abilities, or knowledge to back it up and while she would have liked to believe it to be the first, she was quite sure it was the later.

No matter though, she'll destroy him once and for all. She rose to her feet again, ready to fight ready to destroy him.

Steps echoed through the dark hallways, coming closer and closer to the door, to the room where the small girl was hiding under the old and ripped bed.

-Line Break-

Erza dodged Kagura's attack, better said tried. The sword end hit the scarlet haired's side, knocking her out of the air and onto the ground. With a flick-flack the reequip mage landed on her feets. That was bad. Three of her armors had already been cut down to pieces by the Mermaid Heel Guild member. That woman cut through her armors as if they were butter. She had to think of something fast, or else Mermaid Heels would get whole five points for defeating her.

Using her reequip magic she let two knew swords appear in her hands, when defending was useless and Kagura was able to cut through her armors, she would go for the offensive. She attacked, swinging the swords at a rapid speed at the black haired mage.

It was no use. Kagura was able to block her attacks with ease.

There rarely had been a time, where she had been so out matched like this. If she didn't think of something fast…

The sheeted sword hit the scarlet woman in her stomach again, sending her backwards and to the ground, on hand holding her hurting stomach.

"Why? I don't understand why. Why are you protecting Jellal? Millianna told me what he did to all of you, what he did to you, so why?" Erza got up on shaky feets. Kagura was good and it looked as if her hater for Jellal made her even stronger. Not something Erza liked, she believed in the power of friendship and forgiveness not hater and lust for revenge. Revenge, that was a good point actual. What was the reason for Kagura's hater of the blue haired? Why was she so sat on revenge?

Erza jumped aside, to dodge Kagura's sword and reequipped into another armor, better said into a pair of red pants covering her legs and bandages warped around her chest, hair pulled bag into a ponytail. No shoes, no magical abilities in these cloths or in the two new swords in her hands. Her armors were useless, Kagura was cutting them down one after the other so it was no use wasting her times on those. It was like in the Tower again where she first adorned these cloths, against another opponent where her armors were useless.

"Why do you hate him so much? You weren't in the tower!" You don't know the full story, Erza added in her mind. Kagura glared at Erza, attacking again, but this time Erza managed to block with her swords. Both women were locked into a battle of strength, pressing their swords against each other, trying to overpower the other.

"Because Simon, who was killed by Jellal, was my brother!"

Erza's eyes widen and Kagura used Erza's surprise to push her back onto the ground. Simon's sister? Erza remembered her old friend who died protecting her, how he died. Jellal wanted to kill her but Simon protected her and sacrificed his own live to safe her. In the end, it wasn't Jellal who killed him, but her own inability. Her own inability lead to Simon protecting her and dying. But that was something Kagura didn't knew, what most people outside of Fairy Tail didn't knew.

"It wasn't Jellal." Kagura starred at the woman before her. How could she still defend that guy after everything he did? Not only to her brother or Millianna but to her too.

"It wasn't Jellal who killed Simon."

"What?!" The scarlet haired woman looked at the ground to Kagura's feets, regret shinning in her eyes.

"It was me. Simon died because of me. It is my fault that he's dead." Kagura saw red. This! This! This person! This person killed her brother! Her brother went on autopilot, her head was just so filled with rage. Through the thick mist of rage that clouded her mind the black haired barley registered how she reached for her sword. With one pull she unsheathed it and let it clash down onto the scarlet haired woman.

-Line Break-

Lucy twirled around as she heard the explosion, better said explosions. There had been two. One came from the colosseum like building, the other out of the direction of the area she left Loke in. She had to shield her eyes with her hand to protect them from the light coming from both.

"What was that?" She had uncovered her eyes again after the lights had died down looking horrified into the direction she left Loke, his and Minerva's fight had to have been close to the explosion, or the reason for it. Was the lion alright? Was he hurt? Just what was that? It was Aries who answered her outspoken question. The lamb was still there from a fight against another competitor.

"It looked like one of Leo-nii's spells was mixed into one of the explosions"

"What?" Lucy looked at her spirit with wide eyes before she again fixed her eyes into the direction the explosion came from.

"Loke…", she was worried. Maybe she really shouldn't have left him to fight the Sabertooth mage alone? On the other hand, what use would she have been if she stayed? None. Loke was strong and cable of taking care of himself. Still she was worried for her friend. What if another Sabertooth mage came to help Minerva and attacked Loke from behind? Ah, no, no, no! Lucy shook her head, she couldn't think like that! She had confidence in the lion's abilities after all, hadn't she? He was one of her strongest spirits after all. She had no reason to doubt him. He would be okay, wouldn't he?

He always could return to spirit world when it became too much and he would do that too, wouldn't he? He surely would. He would, wouldn't he? He had to.

"Do you know which spell it was he used in that explosion? He never told me what kind of and how many spells he knows." Aries looked thoughtful into the same direction as Lucy while thinking about an answer.

"It surely was one of his more powerful ones. A wide area one and probably one that can be used for both attack and defense, so and offensive and defensive one…mh…I don't think it was Lion's Brilliance, I'm quite sure about that, it was more powerful…he does know a few that could have this effect and are powerful enough. But I can't say for sure which on Leo-nii used, I'm sorry." Lucy nodded to show that she understood. So it really was a spell of his she didn't know or had been told about so far. It didn't came as a surprise for her, really. Capricorn once told her that Celestial Spirits had their own kind of, because she hadn't had a better word for it, family magic only they and members of their family could use, like Loke's Regulus magic, which could only be used by Loke and other members of Loke's family as far as she knew, but the goat spirit also mentioned some exceptions, though he didn't went into detail.

Furthermore, they didn't tend to share their knowledge with humans anymore, Loke mentioned something like that but said he couldn't tell her all the reasons as he wasn't allowed to, only that it had to do with a former Celestial mage, who went, how Loke called it, rough, as in he went and killed many people.

Back to topic now though, if he used a powerful spell, did that mean he was in trouble or not? Or did he just finish the battle with that spell? And once more she wondered if she should hurry back to check on him. Yes? No? Would he be angry? Feel like she didn't trust him or didn't have any confidence in him? She just wasn't sure what to do. She wasn't used to be too far separated from her spirits during a battle, it only happened once before so far, as Loke fought the possessed Capricorn.

"Lucy?" The shy lamb tried to get Lucy attention, worry for her worried master being heard in her soft voice.

"There is no way that Leo-nii used a spell like this and his opponent is still able to stand, let alone fight, after it." Lucy turned to the lamb. The shy female sounded sure of her words, more than sure.

"I maybe not able to tell which spell it was exactly that he used, but I know his abilities, better than you even. We grew up together, all of us Zodiacs know each other since we were kids, we trained together for years. I saw him train with the Celestial King from time to time before his banishment, he wasn't able to beat him but still…Leo-nii isn't someone you have to worry about, he doesn't want you to worry about him, he can take care of himself that's how it always had been and with how stubborn he can be that's how it always be. The thing you should do now is concentrate on getting all the points you can get, that's what he wants you to do." That was probably the most Lucy had heard Aries say at once ever, and the most confident she ever heard her too.

Lucy allowed herself a small smile. The pink haired was right in the end. She knew it and told herself time and time again the same thing, that she doesn't have to worry about her orange haired friend, that he would be alright. It still didn't stopped her from worrying about him though, maybe that's just how she was, she always worried over her other friends too when they fought, even when they could take care of themselves. Never the less Aries was right. The lion was very cable of taking care of himself, he did so for years. She was just over worried, it just came automatically with her friends and family.

"D-did I say something wrong? I'm sorry!"

"No, no you didn't say anything wrong Aries. You just said the right thing." Lucy smiled grateful at the spirit, as Aries started to glow, signaling her return to the spirit realm.

"Thank you for your help Aries." Lucy put the golden gate key back to the rest of her keys. So far she got two points for her team. Not bad for someone who rarely fought and tried to stay out of it as much as possible. Though those points, those wins she owned to her spirits, her friends, without their help she wouldn't have gotten so far.

"Huh?" The blond mage blinked softly as one of her keys glowed softly. A telepathic massage, from Loke, like that time on Tenrou where he did the same thing to tell her how the fight between Capricorn ended and the goat entered a contract with her.

She was surprised over the short message he had send her just now, but she smiled.

Now she really had to give it her all!

-Line Break-

Erza breathed heavily. That was close. She barely managed to block that last one, she was barely able to stand up again. Kagura was strong, there was no denying it, but she couldn't lose. This was about her guild, she had to win for her friends, her family. Seven years. Seven years they had to go through hell, waiting for them to return, not knowing if they were still alive or not. Now it was time to repay them for waiting for them, for those seven years. Even if she had to fight Simon's little sister.

A cracking sound pulled Erza's attention away from Kagura and to the ceiling above her. Big pieces of it came falling down, to damage to hold together any longer, one big really big piece directly above Kagura.

As if she was on autopilot the reequip mage moved forward, pushing the black haired out of the way of the falling rock. She was a Fairy Tale mage after all, it was like a second nature to them to save others. Pain shot from her foot through her whole body as she landed on the ground. Kagura starred at her surprised.

"Why?" So Kagura actual didn't remember her saving all those years ago.

-Line Break-

He walked through the nearly completely empty streets, the arena being his destination. He didn't know why he decided to go there. It wasn't like he had any interest in the Grand Magic Games. No, for him they were only some senseless fighting and a waste of magic and energy. He didn't mind when they were weak for attacks, but he would think people would have more brain than this. What would be if any of the neighbor kingdoms decided to attack? With their strongest mages exhausted because of these games their strongest forces were out, and the soldiers were simply weak against mages, that's how it always had been.

He pulled his hood further into his face. It wouldn't do him any good if someone saw and recognized him, even if it could bring an end to everything faster.

The noise hit him the second he stepped into the stadium. Hundreds and thousands of people were there, cheering for the team they wanted to win. Voices of cheering fans, mixed with the shouting of the commentators, the booming sounds of the fights shown on the screens and the soft buzzling sound of magic lingering in the air. It was how someone would expect the finals of the Grand Magic Games to be and not something he cared for.

He stood on the highest place possible without standing at the wall, able to overlook everything in the stadium. Just why did he decide to go here? His eyes wandered over the people on the other side of the stadium. There was the Fairy Tail Guild, the members that didn't participate in the Games and the Master of Fairy Tail too, standing there and cheering for their fighters. And there was something else too. He couldn't see what, but he could feel it, even from his position on the other side of the stadium. There was a strong magical aura of something unknown, unseen. Well, not really unknown, but not something he had expected.

Mavis. The first master of Fairy Tail. He shook his head and turned to leave. If Mavis was the reason why he felt pulled here pulled here, then there wasn't more for him to see, even if he hadn't expect Mavis spirit to leave her island.

He stopped. His eyes fixed on a screen. What his eyes caught in his turning moment made him halt. The screen was holding the celestial spirit mage holding up a small golden key. A key he once knew rather well. The water bearer key.

How long ago was it since he had hold that key in his hands? He could still remember when he had held it for the first time. What was that key doing here? How could it be here? How? After what happened…

He shook his head to clear his mind and turned fully away, tearing his eyes of the key. It didn't matter. It didn't matter anymore. It was so long ago. It didn't matter anymore.

He walked away, leaving the stadium, the battle and his memories of a time so long ago, a time where he could still care without fear.

-Line Break-

"So…now only Sting is left to fight both Fairy Tail teams?" The whole stadium was shocked into silence. That was something no one would have expected at the start of these years games. The only one left who wasn't a member of Fairy Tail was the Light Dragonslayer Sting. Even though all Fairy Tail members were beaten and exhausted, they simply outnumbered Sting by far and for him to beat them all was simply close to impossible. And, the relation hit like a tones of bricks, when they beat Sting, Fairy Tail would win, even if they would have not enough points, on team would only have to defeat the other to get enough so in short, no matter what Fairy Tail would win.

-Line Break-

He waited. He had given them all a sign to where he was, to come here to him. Now he only had to wait and then he would beat Fairy Tail. He had to. For Lector. He had to win this. He just had to. Sitting here on the boulder he waited. They should be there soon. And yes, just as he finished his though his ears picked up noises. Small cracks, the moving of cloths, the soft sound of steps. They were close now. His fight was close now. Standing there were the Fairy Tail fighters. All of them. Not a single one missing and all of them looked beaten up. All with cuts and bruises, all bleeding and still, they had all the same look on their face.

He could feel himself trembling. Was he afraid? No, not exactly. He wasn't afraid, was he? They all had such determined looks on their faces. They all were beaten and bruised, were bleeding and their bones broken.

Erza was barely able to stand on her own feet without support. Laxus, marked from his fight against the wizard saint. Wendy, the youngest of them, cut and bruised, cloths torn and wounds barely healed. The other weren't in a much different condition and still they had this determined looks on their faces. How was it that they could still stand like that?

After all they went through, how could they still stand with their heads held high like that? He couldn't win. It hit him like a wrecking ball hitting a house, that dry realization. He couldn't, he wouldn't win. His knees quivered, his legs gave in under him. He felt to his knees. He just couldn't win. Tears ran down his face. He wouldn't, he couldn't, he just couldn't win, so why try? After what they went through those seven year, the humiliation their Guild suffered in those seven years and they as they joined the Grand Magic Games and still being able to walk with their head held height…they deserved this…

'Please forgive me Lector.'

"I give up."

* * *

**So and that was the last round of the Grand Magic Games, which is good for me, as I want to get to the next part, really want to. But I still hope you guys like it^^ **

**I thank you all for reviewing, following and favoring Lions Goddesses**

**Until next time**

**BlackRose015**


	5. Chapter 5

Watching her cry as if someone just died, like he cried as he learned of his mother's death, was heart wrenching. He sat down beside her, softly patting her head with his rings decorated hand. That she let him do that, without complaining –like she once did- or threating to kill him was either a sign of her having excepted him or just being too much in a depressed state that she didn't care. He believed the later to be the reason but wished it is the first. Why she cried over the loss of a tournament like this though was something he didn't he couldn't fully understand nor comprehend. Maybe because he just didn't care much about it?

If it hadn't been so important to Lucy and the rest of his Guild, he wouldn't have paid it the slightest mind. Okay, maybe that had changed as he entered the Navel Battle to help Lucy, as soon he sensed his key being taken from Lucy and her being in trouble. It was quite a surprise for him to see a rather familiar face, besides the ones of his friends. He couldn't say he expected it, neither what followed after it. While he actual hoped that they'd meet again, he never thought it be like that. It just made one thing clear to him, this whole chaos the Navel Battle created within his mind made it clear to him. She didn't remember.

How and why though he didn't know and that worried, scared him. Why hadn't he noticed that something wasn't right? Why hadn't he kept his promise? He didn't know what scared him more. That she couldn't remember or that she didn't want to remember, either way, he would have broken his promise. Was it really something he was at fault for? He believed she would be safe and well cared for with her father and she was she one that told him that she didn't want to stay in contact with him any longer.

He sighed silently while continue patting Minerva's head. That a loss had such an effect on her or anyone for that matter. Losing wasn't the most fun thing and could be rather depressing, but it didn't mean the world, well such tournament lost didn't. Why was winning this important to her? Just why? What made her become like this? He would ask, but with the state she was in at the moment in would be useless to try. Unless he would make her angry again and she'd end up telling, better said shouting the reason at, him in her rage. No, that wouldn't be right, at least for now when she already was so down.

For now, he wouldn't ask or say anything until she calmed down, for now, he would just simply be there. With that decision made he let the time past in silence. The only sounds interrupting the silence was the quiet sobs of the woman next to him.

He let his gaze wander over the area. They had done a rather nice job on it if they were the demolition committee. The buildings had crumbled into pieces, those that were still standing, threaten to collapse at any given moment. The streets were ripped open and cracked, here and there he could see the pipes peeking out through the cracks, some survived others were just as demolished as the street and the buildings. They sat in a crater, not a deep one not more than half a meter, but one that reached far. That one was created as their last spells clashed with each other.

All together and put short, he was happy that he hadn't had to pay for the damage they caused, he would be broke otherwise, or his Guild and both were things he really wasn't looking forward to.

It had turned quitter, the crying had stopped. Still, she hadn't tried to rip off his head so far. "You're feeling a bit better now?" A low grumble of distaste, he guessed it was because he showed pity and as such considered her weak in his eyes, was his answer. "I take that as a yes, at least, I think death threats mean you're feeling more…normal now" "Shut up" "I mean so far you seemed to be in your best mood when you voiced your dislike for me, so I believe it is right to assume that you feel better."

"Can't you just stop breathing?" "It's good to see how well you take the outcome of these games and all, acting as if you hated everyone and everything and were superior to them. A good game face", Minerva growled in frustration while the lion grinned happily, "but now that this is over-"

"What drugs are you taking?" "Huh?" "What drugs are you taking? It's like you're changing personalities in the split of a second, do you have an idea how annoying that is?" By now Minerva had sat up and fixed the male with a hateful glare in his place.

"I got a rather colourful personality, don't I?"

"It's annoying. When will you finally leave me alone?"

"When hell freeze over?"

"Cocky bastard"

"You love me"

"Never" Loke chuckled at the girl's behaviour. It was refreshing, refreshing amusing and entertaining. It wasn't often after all that a girl tried so hard to reject him, his friendship or other, unless they were a member of his Guild, through then his flirting was more for fun than anything else and they knew it.

"Leave me alone"

"Dream on, my goddess"

"Stop calling me that!"

"Nop" The lion grinned at the annoyed woman, making her, even more, annoyed with him. She really couldn't stand him. He was annoying. One minute he does everything to ruin her, a second later he acted as if they were some kind of friends. A colourful personality, he said. Yeah, if it weren't beneath her she would have snorted. A colourful personality he had for sure, as colourful as a pit of mud and annoying as an annoying bee.

What did she do to be punished like this? An oversized kitty that just seemed incapable of leaving her alone. Seriously, what did she do to deserve this? She hadn't done anything wrong, she always had moved within the law, she had always followed her father's rules. So why was she being punished with this annoying kitty cat? Why not someone else?

She glared at the spirit. It was his fault. If he hadn't shown up during the Navel Battle, she would have beaten the blond and won. The people wouldn't have been so impressed that they changed the rules and let them have a tie. If it hadn't been for him, she would have defeated, eliminated the blond, get the point and went on to the next. She would have won. Sabertooth wouldn't have been ruined because their strongest mages lost against a stupid little kitty spirit, her guild's reputation been ruined. It was his fault. If he hadn't showed up, her Guild wouldn't have been ruined, humiliated.

"It's your fault" The lion's grin disappeared, no that wasn't the right word. It didn't disappear, not fully at least. It changed, grew smaller, emptier, while he looked at her with an eyebrow raised in question. His demeanour changed, from a jolly guff ball to serious and the way he carried himself changed with it.

"Is that so? Funny I don't seem to be able to recall something, anything to just how you can blame this on me, maybe that's just me" "If you hadn't showed up Sabertooth wouldn't have been humiliated."

"If I hadn't showed up you would have beaten Lucy into a bloody pulp, probably killing her because you don't seem to know any restraints. Then you would have been imprisoned, an angry and pissed off Guild out for your blood, I would be a Master and friend shorter and would have broken some rather important promises. Tell me what's worse now? That or this, how you called it humiliation? Dare I say the latter is the smaller bad of the two" "Dare I say that you are only staying here to piss me off!"

"Sheesh, no need to rip off my head, you know?" That was something that really didn't help to raise Minerva's foul mood. Actual it did the exact opposite. She couldn't figure that kitty out, even less predicting what he'd do next nor how he would react to something.

He enters a battle in a terrain he's weak in, use himself as a shield for a celestial spirit mage, something most spirits didn't do, even less on their own free will, without being ordered to, as far as she knew.

He was a flirt, a womaniser, having a girl on every finger, but he didn't act like an arrogant fool about it the whole time, not in the way other did at least. He didn't start to disrespecting women, something other with a repetition like his did. He didn't feel the need to rub it in everyone's faces what he was capable off, he just…he was just…he was just so damn confusing and that pissed her off.

Why couldn't he be as easy to understand like her father as an example? Her father she knew how he was thinking, what his motives and his goal were, but this oversized kitty she was just incapable of understanding, she didn't get anything about him. The one second she thought she understood his way of thinking and in the next moment, he made a one-hundred-eighty-degree turn, destroy the whole picture she had of him and…and be the right opposite of understandable for her. If she, at least, knew his motive or his goal, it would be easier to understand him, because she would get his reason for thinking. Why did he think as he did? Why was he acting as he did? It was simply no use. She would have fewer troubles understanding a brick wall than him.

"Hey, now come on. Don't look so grumpy, your face ends up staying like this and you end up grumpier and lonely at one point if you don't try to have some fun from time to time and push everyone away who wants to get closer, wants to get to know you."

"Oh, shut up and leave me alone!", growled Minerva as she stood up before angrily storming away.

"I mean it, Minerva," the woman looked over her shoulder to glare at the lion who had stood up too by now and was looking at her. His hazel eyes gleaming behind his glasses.

"Don't push everyone away, don't push me away. I want to care for you"

"I don't need anyone caring for me!" Loke watched the woman storm away, his expression unreadable.

"Liar" '_you do need someone to care for you._'

-Line Break-

Both teams of Fairy Tail blinked surprised, trying to process what just happened. Had Sting actually gave up? Just like that? Natsu was the first to pull himself out of his shock state and back together. He stepped forward, directly in front of Sting and looked down at him. A moment had passed before a big grin broke out on his face and he held his hand out for the blond Dragon Slayer. "Come up, crawling in the dirt really doesn't suit anyone. You gotta be proud of yourself and your Guild."

Sting stared at the hand in disbelief. Did they…are they forgiving him and his Guild this quickly or are they just being friendly or both? Were they willing to forget what his Guild did to them? "Thanks," the blond mumbled as he took Natsu's hand and with the help of the other Dragon Slayer got to his feets again. "No problem, buddy. Now that these games over I think we can bury our disagreements.

"Yeah, I guess." Sting mumbled, unsure of what exactly he should say. After all, could that between their Guilds really be described as a simple disagreement? They had been, to ay it nice, rather unfriendly to the Fairy Tail Guild. Then there was also the fact that Natsu basically broke into Sabertooth quarters to challenge their Master because he was pissed about how Yukino was thrown out of the Guild.

To call that a simple disagreement between them seemed a tad crazy for Sting. Maybe Lector could have seen some logic in this?

Lector, thinking about his little exceed friend made something in Sting's chest ache painfully. As he gave up, as he let Fairy Tail win… The Lady said she would only give Lector back, after she had saved the little guy from her father, when he lead Sabertooth to victory, which he didn't. He gave up, Sabertooth lost the games…he lost his little cat-like looking friend. It was really a damper on his mood.

It was eating him away inside out, the regret of letting Lector down, the guilt of being responsible for his fate.

"Ah, there isn't a reason for you to look so grim, Sting. You guys fought really hard and well and you even managed to beat the other Guilds for second place. You should be happy about you guys achieved," the Celestial Spirit Mage Lucy. She managed to hold her own in this round well, considering the first round, whereas it came out later Raven Tail had cheated, and the Navel Battle, where she was saved by her spirit, Leo the Lion he reminded himself, force opening his own gate to help her. After the first round, many if not all considered her to be as much of a threat as soft little cotton balls, but maybe they had to reconsider their view of the girl. While she undoubtedly wasn't one of the strongest compared to the rest of her team and other competitors in the games, that she hadn't given up and was now standing here smiling told of another strength. One that maybe was more worth than others.

Still, she was wrong about why he was down. It wasn't because he got second place with his Guild, it was because he lost Lector, something that was way more important to him. He lost his friend. He sighed softly before he started to explain to the other what happened to Lector. It took a few minutes until he had finished explaining and at the end of his explanation, he looked in shocked and surprised faces.

"You're sure that she would do that?", it was Erza who regained her composition first and turned to her teammates.

"Who of you fought her? And where? If we hurry, we could still catch her and talk her into releasing Sting's exceed friend." It took a moment before Lucy raised her hand, making the others look at her surprised.

"Uhm…I…uhm, it was Loke who fought her." Erza raised an eyebrow shortly nodding in understanding. "You know where he fought her?" Lucy shook her head softly. "Not exactly. I roughly know where they fought, but-" Lucy was interrupted by Natsu pumping his fist into the air and shouting: "Alright! I'm all fired up! Lead the way Luce!"

Lucy sighed while facepalming. "Natsuuu" It was nothing new that the Dragon Slayer was only half listening. It was simply typical Natsu, simply typical Natsubehaviour and typical Natsu behaviour was always followed by a typical Lucy reaction. "BAKA!" Lucy's hit the pink haired, "if you would let me finish talking! I would have told you that Loke told me already that Minerva already left the area and that he went back into the Spirit world!"

Natsu stumbled down to the floor, his bottom hitting the ground, holding his now red and stinging cheek.

"You didn't have to hit me, Lucy, you're mean."

"I am what now?"

"Uh-nothing," Natsu spluttered the words quickly to escape Lucy's wrath while shrinking together under the blond girl's glare.

"Good," Lucy nodded, happy with the answer. "But then, what are we going to do about-" The ice mage was interrupted by a loud voice, calling out for Sting.

"Lector?!"

The Light Dragon Slayer swirled around to see the source of the voice. Tears of happiness filling his eyes as he saw the little red-brown furball racing towards him. He already thought he would never see his little exceed friend again. As Lector was only just a few feets away from the Dragon Slayer, from his best friend, Sting bent down and opened his arms, the exceed leapt into the Dragon Slayer's arms.

"You're okay. You're okay," like an endless mantra Sting mumbled it again and again. It seemed unreal to him, so unreal. He couldn't believe that Minerva simply let Lector go, even if he hadn't kept their part of the deal. Sure, he never thought the Lady would really do anything rally harmful to Lector, but he feared how long Minerva would keep the exceed from him, maybe releasing him somewhere and making sure that Lector and Sting would never see each other again.

That she simply let the little furball go without further ado…

The members of Fairy Tail smiled while watching the screen before them.

They were happy for the two friends.

-Line Break-

She sighed softly. So, in the end, that person was right. That meant… She didn't want it to be true. Never did she wanted it to be true.

Now she had undeniable evidence and no other choice. She raised from her throne.

The Eclipse Plan had to start now. It had to be finished before tonight and for that, she needed the twelve golden keys.

-Line Break-

He wondered, he pondered about it. Why wasn't he leaving this city? He had followed the call from whatever called him here. He had followed it to the stadium, but he didn't found what was calling him here. Or did he? No. No, he didn't and he left the stadium but… He couldn't bring himself to leave the city, to stray too far from the stadium. Whatever was calling him still called him and it had a strong hold on him. It was this pull, this feeling, that called him here and kept him from leaving.

He leant against the wall of the dark and dirty little back alley in which he came to a stop. He was still clothed in the black cloak that barely whisked over the ground, it's hem now dripping from the brown mud from the ground and puddles, his hood still covering his head, his face hidden by the shadow it made. No one would recognise him. He could go and blend into the crowd, leaving the city. He could easily leave unnoticed by others. He would just be passed off as a spectator from the games or something but…

His lips twisted into a bitter smile.

He just couldn't bring himself to ignore this call.

This call of magic…

-Line Break-

The Guild was happy, more than happy. They were really did it. They won the Grand Magic Games. They really won and that had to be celebrated. The trophy stood at the bar counter, for all to see, shimmering in the lights of the bar.

Lucy watched her friends partying with a smile while sipping at the drink Mira gave her earlier. A few days ago people laughed at them and called them weak, loser, and now… Now they became the strongest Guild in Fiore again. There wasn't much that could ruin her good mood right now. She actually considered joining some of her Guildmates who were dancing n the tables, spreading the content of their glasses on the wooden surface or if she should accept Cana's drinking challenge, even if she would be completely wasted tomorrow then. Maybe she'd wait until a Guild brawl broke out, knowing Gray and Natsu that would happen at one point or another, and joining in for once?

Sure, it normally wasn't her thing, but she was in such a good mood she'd probably do just that. She was completely giddy from happiness. Tonight, nothing could ruin her mood. With that in mind, she threw her head back and emptied her glass in one big swig.

"Lucy?" Mirajane stood beside the blond, a beaming smile on her face. "There's someone outside who wants to talk with you. She said it's important." Lucy blinked surprised at the white-haired Take Over Mage. Someone waiting for her? At this time? That was unusual.

Well, if it really was important.

Lucy stood up and gave the barmaid her brightest smile. "Thanks, Mira, I'll be right back." With that being said, Lucy moved towards the door, squeezing through the dancing crowd and dodging a flying Elfmann. It looked as if the brawl was just about to start.

The blond giggled at her Guildmates typical antics before she pushed the doors open and was greeted by a fresh evening breeze and the beautiful orange coloured sky. She closed her eyes and took a depth breath of the sweet air, letting a cooling breeze wash over her, brushing through her hair and tickling her nose. What a beautiful evening.

"Lucy-san." Lucy reopened her eyes at the familiar voice calling her. There, just a few feets away, stood, dressed in clothes that belonged to the royal soldiers, Yukino, the former celestial spirit mage of Sabertooth. So far Lucy hadn't had overly much to do with the light blue haired girl that looked a bit similar to Lissana, but she still viewed her as a friend. It didn't make Lucy less surprised at seeing Yukino here, though.

The last time Yukino came to her in the evening was after she had been thrown out of Sabertooth and wanted to give her keys to Lucy, voiding the contracts with her spirits. So… "What can I do for you Yukino?"

"Could you perhaps come with me? It's really important and easier to explain when I show you…"

The blond Heartfilia Mage nodded.

-Line Break-

"That I life to see the day where you willingly enter the library." Hazel eyes looked up from the book, that they had been studying intensively before, to the old man levitating in the air, legs crossed and a silver cross as head with a smile that only a grandfather could wear.

"Grandpa Crux" With a sheepish smile he placed the book back on the shelf. "Don't say something like that, when someone hears you… I got a reputation to uphold too, you know? One-"

"One that says you'll never enter a library willingly and rather bite off your arms and legs than visiting here."

"Exactly. Wouldn't want me to lose the only positive reputation I got, would you?" Crux chuckled his head moving from right to left in a headshake. "You younglings, only you could view it as a bad thing. Well, tell me what you're looking for, so you don't have to worry about your reputation getting ruined by being here too long."

"What told you I was looking for something specific?" Crux chuckled again at the, in his words, youngling. "Leo, I've been around for some time now and I've been around since you've been a little cub." The Zodiac leader raised an eyebrow at the old cross headed spirit. "You rarely enter here unless you're forced to or searching for something. So what is it that you want to know?"

"This is for my reputation shake, as you called it, huh?" The lion grinned at the old spirits chuckle. "Maybe I could also use a helping hand down in the public area." "Ah? Don't tell me that someone gives you trouble down there?"

"Unfortunately… Ophiuchus came earlier in search of a few books about poison magic and had a run in with Pavonis a few moments ago." Crux didn't need to say anymore as the lion was already marching into the direction of the public area of the great library of the celestial world, the royal library. It would have been sufficient enough if Crux had only told him the names, not even mentioning their run in. He knew well enough what would happen when those two were in the same place at the same time and no one interfered in time.

Pavonis, he belonged to the peacock constellation clan. A tad older than the Zodiac leader himself and annoying on a good day, an absolute pain in the ass on a bad. He was someone who loved to antagonise who he believed beneath him, most of all Ophiuchus for what his ancestors did. For this reason, things tended to get troublesome at best when those two run into each other, with Ophiuchus short temper and possessing a rather trigger-happy personality…

Things escalated quickly when those two meet, and when Crux already came to get him…

His search could wait.

"What did you say, scumbag?!"

Great, Ophiuchus short fuse had been ignited.

The lion had just turned around a bookshelf and for a short light second, he wondered if maybe he should just walk away, ignoring it for once. If it weren't for Grandpa Crux asking for his help, perhaps he would have walked away just this once, though probably not.

"What's going on this time?" The lion spirit gave a sigh as he went to separate the two. Ophiuchus had grabbed Pavonis by the collar and hold him forcefully against a bookshelf his free hand ready to strike and clouded in a purple mist. Pavonis tried desperately to free himself, clawing at Ophiuchus's hand and his legs, freely hanging in the air, trying to kick the aggressive snake spirit.

"…Leo…" "Sire!" Both heads turned to the lion. One looking at him with a raised eyebrow and, his earlier anger not directed at the lion, a calm demeanour, while the other looked panicked and relieved at seeing the zodiac leader.

"Do you two always have to try and rip each others throats out whenever you have a run in with each other? Seriously, think about the troubles you give others."

"Sire! This, this monster just attacked me! You have to talk to the King to have him thrown in jail! He's a danger to all, just like his ancestors! He's just like them!"

"I am not like those bastards!" "Ophiuchus!" A few centimetres before Pavonis's face the snake's clouded n purple hand stopped, his arm being held in a tight grip by the lion. "That is enough. Calm yourself, now."

"Shut up Leo and let me go, I'm gonna rip this bastard into pieces!"

"If you do that, you're no better. Don't give other's a reason to compare you to those you despise so much. You're better than them, aren't you?" The snake spirit glared at the orange haired.

Leo was very much aware that he was better than those criminals, and how he despised it to be compared to them. To be reminded of them. Them who brought their once respected house and clan down.

Their once respected name was thrown into the mud and left there to rot. Them who committed the probably worse crime in all of Celestial history. Even now, centuries later he, the last descendent of those bastards, had to suffer from it.

But…

"It' enough Ophiuchus. Let him go. Now."

"Screw you cat."

Ophiuchus sighed and let his hand sink, cancelling his poison magic. Relief appeared on Pavonis's face as the hand retreated before he was pulled at his collar and thrown aside into a bookshelf.

"Be fucking happy that Leo's too freaking nice to let me kill you. Get lost!"

"I'll take care of this Pavonis. You can go, don't worry." At Leo's calming words and Ophiuchus threating words, the other spirit struggled to get back on his feets and fled the screen of crime without so much as a look back.

After the spirit of the peacock constellation disappeared from sight and out of his hearing range, Leo sighed again and let go of Ophiuchus arm. The snake spirit scowled at him and crossed his arms over his chest.

"You had to come and interfere with business that doesn't concern you."

"Ah, but Oro, you know it concerns me very much if a friend is in trouble."

"First of don't call me by this disgusting nickname you insisted on giving me. Second I was in no trouble!"

"And third of?"

"Shut up cat."

Loke chuckled at his snake spirit friend before he looked into the direction in that Pavonis disappeared.

"You really shouldn't let yourself be bothered by that guy. Just last week he was talking about me not being a real celestial spirit because my grandfather was human and how I shouldn't have been pardoned for murdering my Master and just know he would have kissed the ground I walk on."

The snake gave harsh laugh at the zodiacs words.

Oh, he knew very well that there was malicious gossip about the young lion. About how he had killed his Master, even if the investigations that were made only after he had been pardoned showed that he was, in fact, innocent. He may had have kept his former Master from summoning other spirits, but he did it to protect his fellow comrades and told this vile woman about what he did. She left on a mission, knowingly that she couldn't summon a spirit and died. It was misfortune event, a series of unforeseeable events that lead to that woman's death, but nothing the lion could be hold responsible for.

And for that thing with his grandfather having been a human, well he had only one thing to say to that. Screw those people, it wasn't uncommon that celestial had a human somewhere in their family tree.

"I see you managed to prevent the catastrophe from happening Leo. Thank you very much and sorry for troubling you with this."

"Ah, Grandpa Crux, it's nothing. And it's no problem at all, you got nothing to apologise for. If anything this snake here should be begging for forgiveness on his knees for the troubles he caused you."

"As if I'd ever do something like that!"

The old spirit looked at the two younglings with an amused chuckle. A good hundred Earthland years ago this led to quite some worries and gossip. About the Snake, descendant of one of the worse criminal, if not the worse, that ever existed in their world, and the young lion, the leader of the next generation of zodiacs, bearer of the light of the king. About their surprising friendship, but now it was nothing out o the ordinary anymore, at least for most.

"Say, you two younglings, what do you think about having a cup of tea with me? Leo, I got an excellent new milk tea and Ophiuchus, for you I have this wonderful new tea made of Aconitum, just perfect for your taste I believe. I can't try it, unfortunately - the poison you know."

The two 'younglings' looked at each other before grinning and each other and giving the old spirit a nod. "Sure, we loved to Grandpa."

Crux chuckled ad turned around, floating forward through the corridors surrounded by bookshelves, the lion and the snake following behind him.

"By the way, cat, how comes you manage to get there so fast? Did your cat-instincts tingled, telling you I was close to killing that shitty bastard?"

"Nah, I was in the library, on the higher levels, searching for something.", answered the lion before turning to the old cross, "by the way, Grandpa, maybe you could help me with what I've been looking for?"

"Of course, I already told you I'd help you and you do know that both of you can come to me whenever you want. Makes an old spirit feel less lonely."

"But Grandpa, you have how many grand- and great-grandchildren? One, two hundred? I doubt that you ever have much free time and silence."

"That's maybe so, Ophiuchus, but that doesn't make me feel any less lonely from time to time. Most of them are contracted to Celestial Spirit Mages all over Earthland. They're all rather busy, too busy to visit their old Grandfather."

"You aren't that old, Grandpa, just probably the oldest Celestial Spirit in existence."

"You are a brat Ophiuchus, a real brat."

"Thanks, I know. Either way, cat what were you looking for?"

The snake had turned his attention from the cross levitating in front of him back to the lion walking next to him.

"I was searching for a kind of list, table or book, something that had listed how long Celestial Spirit Mages usual needed to learn a Celestial spell."

"So you managed to convince the old man to allow you to teach your Master Celestial Magic?"

Leo nodded at Ophiuchus question. It wasn't a secret to the snake that the lion had discussed this topic for months with the King himself. It was quite troublesome to convince the King because what happened with the last Celestial Mage who learned Celestial Magic.

Of course, not many humans knew that they didn't know actual Celestial Magic. Celestial Magic was more than just summoning Spirits after all, but that was something most humans didn't pay attention to. For them being able to summon a Celestial Spirit was all there was to Celestial Magic. Well, maybe that was good so because there were also spells that could kill a human when they used it.

So Leo had needed a long time to convince the King. Why bring something back to the humans when they had long forgotten it? When they would only become greedy for more of their Magic and end up killing themselves with it. Why bring it back?

"I see. Unfortunately, you won't find such a list, it was never written down. I believe you already started to train the Miss? " Crux looked at Leo in question.

"Yes, I did. Because of circumstances, it was more of a crash course training today. Small spells, tactics and moves that would end up helping in the last round of the Grand Magic Games."

"And you worried about her learning process?"

The lion stayed silent at the old spirits question. His question wasn't wrong, Leo was actually concerned with Lucy's learning process, but the reason why was not the reason that Crux thought.

"I wouldn't worry too much Leo. Considering the Miss's magical power and her the high affinity for Celestial Magic she so obviously has, she should, as far as I can tell, be able to learn one to use correctly if weak and maybe one or two more, in the most basic way. Those would only be effective if she uses her surroundings the right way then though. Like using a blending spell during an explosion to hide. But that is the maximum I can think of."

"…No…."

"What?"

Leo sighed as he repeated himself. "No…Hime managed the double of what you thought to be her maximum…"

"The double of…? Leo, I may not be as versed in these things as Grandpa, but even I have enough knowledge to know that his speculation of your Master's possible maximum is an overestimate because he likes her!"

"I know that!" The zodiac hissed and glared slightly at his snake spirit friend. Unhappy with having it pointed out to him by the snake. Having pointed out how unusual fast Lucy was learning Celestial Magic. It wasn't normal. "I know that she shouldn't be able to learn it this fast! Know that it shouldn't be possible! Especially as today was the first time she used it! Her body shouldn't have been able to adapt to our magic like this! She's human!"

Yes, because Lucy was human, her body was human, she shouldn't be able to use Celestial Magic like this so easy so quickly. Like humans couldn't survive in the Celestial Spirit World under normal circumstances, possessing Celestial clothes wasn't something people usual did, they also couldn't use their magic without proper training. Their body had to get used to this magic, more so than when someone went and bought regular magic in a magic store, similar like Dragon Slayers had to train and get used to their magic if they didn't want their body to be completely consumed by it.

That was what he was the most worried about as he decided to train Lucy in Celestial Magic. It was the argument that the King brought forth that had troubled him the most.

There was this small, slim possibility that they made a mistake.

That they went to quick about it.

That they used too powerful spells too fast.

That they didn't gave her, her body and her magic enough time to adjust.

That she would end up consumed by her own magic. Killed by it.

It only happened in very rare cases, and he had planned the whole training regime long enough. He had more than one backup plan, so even if they had to go about it different because of time reasons like today he had a plan. He had the plan looked through by Capricorn and the King, worked together with those two until the Kind deemed it safe if he went by that plan and allowed him to train Lucy.

So the likelihood that the worse cases possibility happened was practical zero. He still worried, though, and after what he saw today, how quick Lucy learned he was troubled by it.

"Leo, do you think that the Miss maybe isn't human?"

"No, no I do believe that she is human just…" The lion sighed and run his hand through his mane of hair frustrated.

He was frustrated by this situation. It wasn't that Lucy learned so fast that bothered him, he knew from the beginning that his master would have no problem with the theory, but that she was capable of learning the practical part so quick when she shouldn't be able to… He hadn't told Lucy about it, he even ordered Capricorn to keep quiet about it, so he had time to do some research before he went to the King.

Crux looked at the frustrated youngling, before closing his eyes. His mind raced through every information he had stored there, trying to find something to help, to explain how it could be. From hundred and thousand unlikely possibilities…

The old cross's eyes ripped open as one of the most likely possibilities crossed his mind.

"You think that she's…"

"Yes." Leo nodded with a sigh. "Yes I think it is most likely that she is-"

He stopped in mid-sentence.

A cold shiver run down his back. Cold and frightening. It started as a cold shiver running down his back but expanded over his whole body. He felt cold, his entire body trembled.

A look at Crux confirmed that the Sothern Cross spirit felt the same sensation as he did. This feeling an every Celestial Spirit knew of but hoped never to get. This feeling that made every alarm bell in a Spirits head ring.

This feeling that a Spirit only felt when something was wrong with their contract partner in Earthland – their Master. Not just a cut or something like that but that they were, for whatever reason, incapable of using magic to defend themselves.

A hissing snarl from Ophiuchus, the snakes eyes glowing with a dangerous fire in them. "What shit has that bitch gotten herself into now?!" The snake had felt the same. His Master was in danger too, and he worried, wanted to summon himself to Earthland right away and destroy whatever put his Master into danger before snarling at her like an angry snake, insulting her and doing everything to cover up that he cared.

The lion through didn't paid much attention to all that happened around him, he had only needed a second to confirm that Crux had felt the same thing as he and he only noticed the snakes angry snarling and hissing at the back of his mind.

'_Lucy, hold on, I'm coming_.' He closed his eyes contracting hard at his connection to the blond mage that saved his life and the link to his key. It was harder than usual, he could barely feel either of them.

Just what happened?! What could block his connection to both like this? He never had heard of it.

There.

He found her, got a hold of her magic. '_Lucy._'

Leo started to shimmer, being encased in gold light, slower than usual when he forced his gate open on his own.

He was passing through now.

If one could see him through the light that was wrapped around him, they would see that he was already half see through, half passed through his gate.

And then…

Thousands of small blades tore through his skin into his body.

A coldness took hold of his heart.

He felt darkness envelop him.

Next he knew…

It shattered.

The light that encased him shattered like glass.

He was thrown back.

Fully back in the Celestial Spirit World.

His gate forcefully shut by an outside force. A force that was not Lucy.

He bent over. A hand over his hear, clenching the white clothes that covered his chest.

What was that?

Why couldn't he pass through his gate to Earthland?

What blocked him?

Panic. Panic got a hold of him. Lucy was in danger. She couldn't defend herself for some reasons and he…he…

"Leo!"

A slap brought the orange haired back into this reality. He looked directly in a pair of poison green eyes. Ophiuchus had slapped him to get him out of his panic attack.

"I, I can't pass through the gate. Something's blocking me."

He…he couldn't?! Leo the Lion, leader of the twelve zodiacs, second in power only to the Celestial King himself couldn't pass through the gate? Leo to whom passing between the Celestial Spirit World and Earthland was like walking through the door to his room, the palace, the library or a door to any room, couldn't pass through?

Ophiuchus cursed under his breath. If Leo couldn't, he didn't even have to try. Leo was better at passing through the gate on his own than him. Ophiuchus barely managed to do this when he was at full power and had time to do so.

He drew a shaky breath and tried to calm himself. Telling himself silently that he had to calm down, he was the leader of the zodiacs after all and in a situation like this he had to keep a calm head.

Especially in a situation like this.

He let go of his shirt that he had held in a death grip like clutch. Another shaky breath and the lion straightened his back. Standing straight again he looked at his company.

"Crux, please check on all of hime's spirits, calm them down and tell them not to worry, we'll…take care of it somehow…Ophiuchus, please do the same with your Master's spirits. I run to the gate chamber to check with the rest of the zodiacs, and I'll give a call to the Guild and tell them something's wrong with Hime, they also know your Master, so they'll check on her too."

Leo didn't wait for an answer as he started to sprint down the halls of the library.

-Line Brak-

Slowly.

Slowly she woke up.

Darkness surrounding her.

How long already? Too long to remember. Too much time had passed to remember.

The darkness surrounded her. Wrapped itself around her. Filled her very being.

She inhaled it, breathed it. This darkness. Running through every fibre of her being.

Darkness was every part of her. Every fibre. Every blood cell. Everything.

Her consciousness was still drowned. So far out of her reach. Still sealed away. She was only just starting to wake up.

But what?

What woke her up?

If she were to be fully awake, or just a little bit more awake. She would have already figured it out. Figure out what awoke her from her endless slumber. Her cursed slumber.

Something flickered. A light. So far, far away.

She raised a weak, bony arm. How damage she was now. Only a shell was left. Nothing to remind of her former beauty. Her skin stretched over her bones like old ragged leather. Pale and ugly. She silently cursed her own weakness.

She raised her arm further. Holding her open palm out to the small light in the distance.

What a pitiful little light. Poor little thing. Dared to enter her realm. Dared to mock her state of weakness. Dared to try and fight its way through her darkness.

Her lips stretched into a monstrous grin. Evil and sadistic. A grin that used to frighten everyone who saw it once upon a time before she was cursed to this pitiful existence.

The darkness moved in front of her palm. Twisting and wrapping.

The light shone unaware of the danger it was in.

Oh, how she hated the light. She hated it with such a passion. This pitiful thing called light that dared to stand against her.

She crushed it. Crushed it with her darkness.

How beautiful. It laughable attempts to fight it off. The inevitable end it was to face. The darkness swallowed it. Consumed it and destroyed it.

A hollow laugh escaped her throat, flowed through the darkness. Echoed and sounded hollower and hollower. This cruel, unforgiving, evil laugh.

Her arm sank back to rest beside her. She hated the light.

She would destroy it.

She would destroy every and any light there is so only her darkness would be left.

And when she was already at it, she would fulfil her hunger for revenge.

She would not only destroy the light. No, she would destroy those twelve.

Destroy them. Kill them. Break them.

Those twelve who dared to stop her.

Those twelve who dared to seal her away in an eternal slumber.

She would…

But not now.

She was still so, so weak.

She needed to regain more strength and then find a way to free herself.

Then she would rip them apart. Those twelve who dared to deny her darkness endless regime. Who dared to stop her darkness with their light.

For now, she had to wait. The last time she woke up she was careless. Granting the one who broke the barrier that kept her consciousness away from her an endless life in darkness as a sign of her gratitude had taken so, so much of her.

She wouldn't make the same mistake.

She would rest for now.

Until she was stronger.

Then…

-Line Brak-

Water dropped from the ceiling. Into the flat bowl. Ripples after ripples, with every new drop of water a new ripple was created. Small circular ripples starting from the point where the drops hit the water and from there on moving further and further away from it's starting point. She looked at them. Her face hidden by the hood of her long tattered cloak. Through the open front of the cloak, the fine midnight blue gown the woman wore was seen. Her arms decorated with golden bracelets.

She looked at the small ripples and sighed. Oh, how she feared what was brewing together there on the horizon.

But there wasn't anything she could do. Not anymore. She had already played her card, didn't she? From where, where she was now, she couldn't do anything. She sighed and raised her head looking at the ceiling.

"Oh please, Aslan, watch over them. I'm begging you to protect them…you wouldn't want anything to happen to them either, do you? They're your children too…"

* * *

**Sooo, now we're walking in big steps towards...well I think you guys can guess^^**

**So far I kept rather close to the original arcs, close as in I keep to the rough outline of events. I do plan to keep the rough outline of some other events too, but only the outline.**

**There already a few things set up now for future events let's see where they will lead us, huh?**

**To Ophiuchus's gender. Yes, yes I know in the anime in his Eclipse form he's female but I always thought of Ophiuchus as a guy not a girl for whatever reason I'm not sure, soooo... in is normal form he's a guy.**

**That was all I had to say, I think.**

**A big, big thank you to all of you who read, following it or even have favorite it and those of you who have reviewed it^^**

**And a big thank you to FunahoMisaki for being my beta-reader.**

**Until next time guys^^**


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